Where There's a Wand, There's a Way
by PaperGanstah
Summary: I absolutely love Supernatural and Harry Potter so I thought...why not have both? Characters from Numb3rs and X-files. Follows mostly Castiel/ Dean's budding romance at the greatest wiz school. Other pairings. Slash,adventure,angst, humor, and fun for all
1. Of Witches,Wizards, and the Supernatural

**If There's a Wand, There's a Way**

**Hey everyone! I've become really hooked on Supernatural and since I have always enjoyed the world of Harry Potter I figured I would give you both! This story contains character from other shows (X-files and Numb3rs) but it definitely revolves around our lovely Destiel! This story is finally complete, and I am simply cleaning up any typos I had initially made (I never review before posting which is a BAD idea). This story will have fluff, action, angst, hurt/comfort, humor ...pretty much the works! Have fun. Mischief managed!**

**-PaperGangstah **

"Of Witches, Wizards, and the Supernatural"

Castiel looked with wide eyes at the chaotic scene before him with people in an assortment of capes and hats in as many colors as one could dream of. He watched a mother buying ice cream for her daughter who dropped her toy broomstick in excitement. An old man chased a growling book in front of a yard. Strange smells invaded his nose as he took in the strange sights that made up the wizard gathering that was Diagon Alley. Castiel had come to the market looking for the obscure items listed on the parchment in his hand. He had received a letter in the mail a month before detailing his transfer to the famous wizarding school known as Hogwarts. He was hopeful that his sixth year in the magical school district would provide him a better education and hopefully something he always seemed to be lacking in: friends. Castiel was an orphan and it often made him the target of bullying. It was as if they sensed his loneliness and hoped to deepen his hurt. He had been at Durmstrang for most of his school life and would now be joining his brother at a co-ed school.

Castiel began to pop into shops as he checked items off his list. He half listened to his brother, Gabriel, telling him about a spell that rendered clothing invisible to the caster. Gabriel figured that this spell would be much more useful in a co-ed school and was eager to get Castiel to try it out. This was Gabriel's last year and he couldn't wait to go out with a bang. He dug through bins in the back hoping to find a skeezy magazine to hide in his school books. Castiel looked over a book on transfiguration and shook his head when his brother's best friend, Ash, wandered into the shop grinning. His mullet clashed horribly with the orange Chuddly Cannon robes he was sporting. He fist pounded Gabriel and ruffled Castiel's hair.

"What up gentlemen? Gettin' all hooked up to get schooled?"

Gabriel grinned and pretended to slowly hide the magazine with a busty witch behind a textbook.

"Hey, Ash and I are going to peek in Knockturn alley, if I leave your diaper bag can you hang by yourself for a while?"

Castiel frowned at Gabriel as he and Ash left laughing.

It began to rain as Castiel hurried out of Flourish and Blotts in search of the Apothecary. He burst into the broom shop to take cover and bumped into the well-defined chest of Dean Winchester. They collapsed on the floor in a tangle of limbs and school supplies on the rug at the front of the store. Castiel opened his eyes and locked them with Dean's. Both stayed there in shock until Dean pulled himself off of Castiel. He helped him up off the ground and helped him pick up his books. Castiel stared at Dean and returned his smile as he blushed.

"Dean what did you do? Not another fight? Dude we aren't even at school yet!"

Sam Winchester stood next to his best friend and fellow nerd, Charlie Eppes. The two shook their heads.

"No, I ran into…Dean. The whole occurrence was my fault." Castiel studied his shoes shyly.

Dean grinned. "Hey, don't worry about it. What's your name sugar?"'

"Castiel." He didn't look up, still too embarrassed.

"Well, we were just going to get some ice cream if you wanna come."

Castiel looked up, both curious and grateful. He thought he heard a hopeful tone in Dean's voice but he didn't think too much on it.

The boys wandered into the ice cream shop as Dean bragged about his new racing broom to Castiel.

"Fastest damn thing ever made Cas!"

Castiel gave Dean a delighted smile in return; no one had ever given him a nickname before.

"I practiced all summer on my old broom so I can make quidditch captain this year. I was goalie before but I would rather like to add onto that title…" Castiel looked impressed, only encouraging Dean to continue.

Dean bought ice cream for everyone, even though he bothered Charlie about choosing a nerdy flavor like pistachio. Castiel found that both Charlie and Sam were both going to be first years while Dean was thankfully in his own grade. It looked like Hogwarts would already be a better fit than Durmstrang had ever been.

The boys finished their ice cream quickly when they finally noticed how late it was. The time had passed too quickly. Castiel gave the others his number and smiled as Dean beeped his number into Castiel's phone.

"See ya on the train tomorrow! I'll save you a seat!" Dean hollered at Castiel as he turned and waved on his way to track down his big idiot of a brother so they could get home.

"Dean…Dean…DE-"

"WHAT." Dean looked at his alarm clock. "Dammit Sammy we still have two hours. Get your ass back in bed."

"Can't. Too excited. I just want to be somewhere that isn't a cheap motel room, you know?" Dean nodded. "Do you think everyone will like me there?"

"I guarantee it Sammy boy. Stop worrying your sasquatch head about it. You've got Charlie and the best damn brother around to look after you."

"Really, we have another brother?" Sam ducked and giggled as a pillow came his way.

"Like I said, go to sleep and shut up." Dean fell asleep that night with dreaming of blue eyes.


	2. Gotta Get Back to Hogwarts

"Gotta Get Back to Hogwarts"

Castiel nervously fidgeted with his robes as he dragged his trolley towards platform 9 ¾. Although he enjoyed being able to hide in the crowd the noise was rather unsettling.

"Hey do you need your big, bad, brother to walk you through the wall?" Gabriel and Ash were currently attempting to see how far they could fit their wands into their nostrils.

"I'm fine." Castiel smiled at the nice offer not really realizing that Gabriel was teasing him. He took a deep breath and then plunged into the barrier before he could talk himself out of it.

He was relieved to be greeted by a scarlet steam engine instead of a solid brick wall. He caught Sam's eye and hurried over smiling shyly.

"Hey."

"Castiel!" Sam beamed. "Dean's already on the train. Need some help?" he gestured to Castiel's over stuffed trunk.

Castiel smiled gratefully as Sam grasped the other end and helped him get it snuggled into a compartment corner.

"Hey Cas."

"Hey." Castiel looked down nervously at his shoes as Dean moved his feet off of the seat and patted next to him. Castiel sat down keeping a respectable distance between the two of them as he surveyed the strangers in the compartment.

Dean, a born leader, leaped up to his feet to introduce everyone. "This here is Jo, she may be a chick, but she is still pretty bad ass." The pretty blonde smiled at Castiel, who returned it in full. "I know you met Charlie yesterday. This is his older bro and one of my best friends, Don Eppes. He's dumber than Charlie but he packs a great punch." Don rolled his eyes but offered a hand to Castiel who nervously shook it. He felt himself calm down when Don crinkled up his eyes in a friendly smile. "Fox Mulder, our resident crazy. He believes in nonexistent things like aliens and nargles. Don't believe a word he says." Mulder winked and continued to flip through a new edition of the _Quibbler_. He had very intelligent eyes that Castiel couldn't tell what color they were. Somewhere from green to grey. Both Don and Mulder were very attractive. "Dana Scully, smart looking red head and probably the bossiest person you will ever meet."  
>Scully offered a genuine smile after kicking Dean in the shin. "You met Charlie yesterday. He isn't too bad for a math nerd. And that fine upstanding black man is David Sinclair. He likes chicken, waffles, and koolaid. Any questions?"<p>

Castiel sat solemnly taking in every detail. He was surprised to see so many people that actually seemed interested in getting to know him. It was baffling and made him feel a bit dizzy.

The rest of the train ride consisted of games of exploding snap and eating through sweets. Castiel had gotten a vomit flavored jellybean that had almost made him actually throw up. Mulder had thought he found another grass flavored bean, his absolute favorite, that turned out to be booger flavored and Charlie had a tantrum when his was earthworm and not chocolate.

As the train screeched onto the platform the excited teenagers had already pulled on their robes and left a frantic Scully to clean up their mess. Castiel stayed behind, and for some reason Dean did too. He crammed the garbage in Uriel's bag as he, Alistair, Lilith, Colby Granger, Alex Krycheck, and Meg left the train. They looked like an entirely unpleasant lot and Castiel found himself standing very close to Dean as he tried to remain invisible. Dean smiled reassuringly to Castiel before making unpleasant fart noises at their retreating backs. Uriel turned and stared them down as Alistair and Colby made their way towards them. Dean pulled Castiel into a boat that cast off before the others could reach them. Dean laughed at Castiel's unsmiling face.

"Why did you do that? They were leaving us alone. Now we are going to have to deal with them the entire year."

"Scared Cas? Sounds like sooooomeone needs a joyboy! That whole crowd is a bunch of dicks. Last year there was a hell of a lot of ass kicking on either side. I generally won." Dean gave Castiel his most charming smile which widened when he saw Castiel laugh and shake his head at him.

"Yeah I had some enemies at my school too. But I never tried to fight them. I-I'm not as brave as you Dean."

"I'm sure you are Cas." Dean smiled at the compliment. "You just are more quiet about it."

Castiel remained silent staring into the dark water. He didn't tell Dean about how he had been beat up countless times at his old school. He figured it wouldn't sound very impressive to Dean who seemed to have the world at his feet. He didn't know why but he felt a longing within him to prove to Dean everything he possibly could. For some reason the idea of Dean not liking him made his chest hurt.

They both finally noticed the rather small boy occupying their boat.

"Hi guys. I'm Chuck and I can't find my toad. Has anyone seen it?"

"No. Did you lose it on purpose? I would have."

Castiel gave Dean a fake glare and helped Chuck search the boat until the small amphibian was safely clutched in Chuck's hand. They finally reached the castle. It looked beautiful in the night, glowing windows and darkened towers made it look like something out of a fairytale. Dean hopped out of the boat and held out his hand to Castiel, who shyly took it. They completely forgot about Chuck and left him to scramble out of the boat on his own.

Everyone gathered in the hall and the new students were put into houses. Castiel was delighted to find that he, Dean, Mulder, Don, David, and Jo were all Gryffindors. He was curious as to why a he was put there but there but figured not to argue. Sam had also gotten in Gryffindor but his friend Charlie was a Ravenclaw along with his pretty friend Amita so he tagged along with the others. The two friends were looking sour. All the students sat down at the correct tables and listened to a thankfully short speech by the headmaster Albus Dumbledore. After a pretty spectacular feast the boys trudged up to their dorms. Sam had to join the fifth years as Dean, Don, Mulder, David, and Castiel made their way to the sixth year dorms.

"Don't forget your nightlight!" Dean hollered at Sam.

"Jerk!" Sam gave Dean the finger.

"Bitch!" Dean waved and wandered sleepily upstairs. He found the bed closest to Castiel's and plopped down on it sighing loudly. Castiel frowned at him and grabbed his tooth brush and went in search of a shower. At least HE cared about personal hygiene. No one else seemed to care in the entire room except for Castiel and the rather OCD Don. The others simply hid under their blankets and went to sleep.

The nightmares were back. Castiel's dreams consisted of his own screaming voice and blood everywhere. He felt it pool warm and sticky as it rolled off his back. For some reason he always envisioned soft white feathers floating in all the red. He remembered pain and darkness. His father's voice telling him to be quite and the sound of a knife tearing at something. Castiel woke up in a panic and felt tears stinging his eyes.

"Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah, sorry for waking you up Don. Bad dream."

Don nodded in sympathy. Castiel was surprised to see the warmth in his eyes. Don had a rep for being a hard ass, but he actually had very nice dark brown eyes framed with feminine lashes. He was lot like Dean from what Castiel could tell. Tough on the outside but sensitive inside; he had also cared for his genius of a little brother from a tender age. Both had been forced to grow up too fast so no wonder the two were fast friends. Castiel liked seeing this: what lay under the armor.

"You..uh..need to talk about it?"Don looked slightly uncomfortable, even worse than Dean about emotions.

"No, it was stupid. Don't worry about it." Castiel smiled when he heard snoring before he even finished answering and snuggled deep down into his blankets.

Castiel was up bright and early. It was the first day of class and he had almost been too excited to sleep the night before. He spent a good 40 minutes trying on different outfits and fixing his hair. He let out a frustrated sigh and pulled on his black slip-on Vans. He didn't notice that he had woken up Dean who was currently propped up on his elbow enjoying Castiel's distress. He was rather perturbed when he noticed how much he enjoyed watching Castiel rip off one shirt after the other and look helplessly in the mirror.

"Looking lovely as always Cas. Keep on that v-neck, it looks good on you."

Castiel figured that Dean was kidding with him but he still looked flustered at him and hurried down stairs.

The first class was charms and it was rather boring. It had always been boring, even at Durmstrang, but the tiny wizard who taught it was more amusing to watch as he flitted about the classroom. Castiel soon became Flitwick's favorite student after he mastered charm after charm. Dean told him it was because he was so 'charming.' Castiel groaned.

None of the Gryffindor students enjoyed potions with Professor Severus Snape. He obviously delighted in torturing them and favoring the Slytherins. Castiel was surprised when Dean hurried over to his lab table and set up his cauldron next to him. He gave him a grateful smile, relieved to skip out on the awkward search for a partner in a new class. He was surprised that Dean had chosen him over all of his other friends. The two worked in companionable silence as they shredded manglewort carefully for the complex Confusing Concoction they were working on. Castiel brushed hands with Dean as they reached for the same vial at the same time. Dean swallowed and Castiel pulled his hand away quickly. Both went back to work with their faces burning and seemed to brush past each other each time they selected an ingredient. Castiel didn't know if it was a game or not since he was positive that he wasn't trying to touch Dean each time. He watched Dean curiously and received a charming grin from the green eyed boy. Castiel was rather distracted by this and accidentally cut his finger instead of the monkshood he was dicing. His eyes widened and just as he was about to put the hurt finger in his mouth Dean grabbed his wrist.

"Cas what are you doing? You were just shredding poison!"

"Oh. I was wasn't I?"

Castiel looked surprised at Dean and let him lead him into the boy's bathroom. Dean actually lifted him up off the ground and set him on a sink. He rinsed off the cut and carefully wrapped a batman band-aid on his hurt finger. Castiel watched him as he felt his face flush. His heart was beating so loud he swore Dean could hear it too.

"Be more careful next time." Dean leaned over and Castiel took in a sharp breath. He could see every cute freckle on Dean's nose. He vaguely wondered if Dean was going to kiss him. Castiel started to lean in also when Dean scooped him up off the counter and set him down on the ground.

"Let's get outta here before Snape has a cow."

Castiel was worried when he realized that he was disappointed that Dean hadn't kissed him. He followed Dean back to the classroom as he pushed the strange emergence of strange feelings to the back of his mind. He looked surprised when he bumped into Uriel and Alistair who were also supposed to be in potions class.

"Look what we have here. Oooh sneaking off to the bathroom together? That's rather odd…" Alistair sneered in is nasally voice.

"Hmmm seems to me that these two must have just come out of the closet. Let's put them back in!" Uriel smiled as Castiel shrank back.

"Lady's room is that way you dicks. I would show you where, but I piss standing up." Dean stood closer to Castiel with his hand balled into a fist.

Uriel's eyes gleamed. "I would watch how you talk around me Winchester."

"No you should watch how you talk around me. From now on I want you to stay away from me. You haven't forgotten the jelly legs hex I gave you last year? I wouldn't mind rolling your fat ass down the stairs again either. Oh and Alistair, that bought of explosive diarrhea? That wasn't just from you pigging out on tacos. Slipped something in your pumpkin juice."

Dean hardly had time to think before the duo was on them. He heard the sound of Castiel hitting the wall and then saw red.

"Don't you fucking touch him Uriel! I'll bust your ugly head in! I'll-oomphh-" Alistair grabbed Dean and forced him to the ground

"Not so tough now are you Dean? Get wimpy over the summer? Or does that big fat mouth of yours do all the tough talking while you back yourself into a wall?"

"Shut your fucking face asshole!"

"Oh yeah, why don't you make me?"

"Let Cas go. This thing is between us. You don't even know the kid!" Dean caught Castiel's eyes. They were wide and blue.

"What do you think Uriel? Let this pretty little prize out of our grip because big mean Dean Winchester asked so nicely?"

"Hmmmm…then why don't we give him what he wants. We'll let him go." Alistair scooped up Castiel as if he weighed nothing at all. He smiled at Dean and then walked over to the window adjacent to the corridor. Castiel fought until he was being held out the window. Then he went alarmingly still.

"Alistair god damn it! Put him down!"

"Sure thing Dean! I serve to please." Alistair dropped Castiel and turned to catch the look of sickening horror on Dean's face.

"WHAT THE FU-"

"Now this fight is between us. Sorry about your little boyfriend, he was very cute. Emphasis on the _was_."

"You son of a bitch! Dean threw Uriel off and decked Alistair in the face feeling satisfied at the nasty crunching noise his nose made on the impact. "Cas! Cas!"

"Hello Dean." Castiel limped over with his arms bleeding and scraped up knees. Other than that he looked very much alive.

"Cas? What the hell! I thought you were dead!"

Castiel nodded towards Alistair and Uriel. "So did they. Expelliarmus!" Both Uriel and Alistair's wands flew into his hands as he stepped forward with a steely look on his face.

Dean stared at him dumbfounded. He was shocked to see shy little Cas look so authoritative.

"Locomotor Mortis!" Uriel and Alistair looked shocked as they felt their limbs lock up in instant paralysis. "A little help Dean?"

"Uh.. sure Cas." His face brightened. "Let's lock these two in the closet instead!" The two boys pushed their adversaries into the broom cabinet and shut it quietly.

"Damn Cas! How did you survive that fall? You should be dead you sucker!" Dean hugged him too his chest. "Hell I was already planning your funeral!"

Castiel laughed against Dean's chest. "I'm really not quite sure. I just didn't fall that fast I guess. I have been hurt just as badly and survived…I figured it was just part of being a wizard?"

"I don't really think so Cas. Wizards can do cool shit and all but I'm sure they leave flying to the birds. You do still look like shit though. Let's go get you fixed up again. I can't believe you took out those jackasses all on your own. You are joining fight club."

"We're not supposed to talk about it."

"About what?"

"Fight club."

Dean grinned at him. "Never pegged you for a Fight Club fan but I guess I didn't know that you could survive falling out of a window and stuff two dicks in a closet. I guess I'm gonna have to hang around you a little longer so you can stop surprising the hell out of me!" He put his arm around Castiel's shoulder as they wandered up to the hospital wing.


	3. We Like Sports and Don't Care Who Knows

"We Like Sports and Don't Care Who Knows"

None of the other classes were rather that eventful, unless you counted the large pile of homework given in transfiguration and a gaggle of ghosts shooting around in between classes. Everyone learned that the History of Magic professor, Delores Umbridge was not to be crossed and looked delightfully like a swollen toad. Dean got into trouble with her already for mouthing off. It had something to do with her impressive camel toe and sulfur smelling classroom. Dean now had detention with her and also now loudly suspected her of being a demon.

The students wandered to their dorms and amused themselves until Ash and Gabriel came running in waving a stolen flier.

"Quidditch tryouts are tomorrow!" They sang in unison.

Dean looked up from the homework he was pretending to do and grinned excitedly. He high-fived Gabriel and danced around the room with Ash. The entire common room was in an uproar. Gabriel and Ash dumped Honeydukes sweets on a table and busted out their greatest prize: butterbeer. Scully, Amita, and Anna rolled their eyes and went up to their dorm so they could study in peace. Jo stayed downstairs with the boys and turned on the radio. When Led Zep's 'Ramble On' came up everyone sang along with Dean leading them loudly into the chorus. He plopped down next to Castiel and put his arm around him grinning wolfishly. Castiel was delighted to find that Dean had a pretty good voice and it took all of his self restraint to not lean into Dean's chest. He began drifting off until he was brought back into consciousness when Gabriel dangled Chuck out the window and the poor little guy was screaming his head off. Just as Castiel was about to march over there to put a stop to the torment, Sam Winchester marched over and started bitching out Gabriel. Castiel was shocked when his older brother actually freaking APOLOGISED to Sam and set Chuck down on a squashy arm chair with the utmost gentleness. Sam nodded matter of factly at him and marched off. He didn't notice the way Gabriel watched his retreating back with interest. Castiel was surprised: every time he had seen that look on his brother's face he had found him with a girl on his arm. He giggled at the idea of the proud Sam Winchester parading around on his goofy brother's arm. First day of school and already sparks were flying.

When Castiel woke up it was still dark outside. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and sat up with a start when he noticed a shape on his bed.

"Cas, you awake? Cas? Cas-"

"Yes Dean. You have accomplished your purpose of destroying my slumber."

Dean laughed. "Sorry man. Hey…um… quidditch practice is today."

"Yes I know."

"I was sorta wondering if you wanted to maybe get in a little extra practice? I can't sleep anyway. We can wake up the other guys and break in that stadium." He smiled shyly at Castiel, who was surprised to see that the normally overconfident Dean looked nervous. He obviously really wanted to make the team.

"Of course Dean." Castiel bet that Dean could ask him anything and he would comply without even realizing he had.

"Great! Get dressed, I'm going to sneak us some breakfast."

Castiel smiled to himself as he watched Dean walk away, knowing that the adoring house elves in the kitchens would give him enough food to feed everyone in Gryffindor tower.

Half an hour later and the sleepy Gryffindors were cramming their faces on the field as they showed off their brooms to each other. Don let everyone try out his brand new firebolt and everyone was impressed by Dean's renovations on his nimbus 2001. No one was as impressed with it as Dean himself and he was the first to start shooting around on his broom. The boys teamed up as follows: Dean, Castiel, and Sam against Mulder, Don, and David. Both sides were equally formidable.

"Jesus Castiel, where did you learn to fly like that? Sweet skills!" David grinned at Castiel.

"Actually, this is the second time I have been on a broom. I believe that I liked them the first time and I find that I still do." Everyone looked shocked at him.

"Damn. Looks like you would be a great seeker. You are pretty small." Don looked at him nodding in approval as Mulder tested the limits of his broom and shot up towards the sky in a vertical angle.

"Get your ass back down here mister Mulder!" Madame Hooch, the hawk-like flying instructor, gave Mulder a steely look until he had both feet on the ground. He smiled brazenly at her and laughed when he realized that he had covered a crabby looking Don in mud from his speedy landing.

"Quidditch tryouts are not until this afternoon. Get back to your common rooms." The boys wandered dejectedly off of the field until they were out of earshot. Then they burst out laughing and had a contest to see who had the beast Madame Hooch impersonation. Dean won by a unanimous vote when he fixed them with a steely eye and barked commands at them.

The entire Gryffindor house wandered down to the field eagerly at the correct time. Nervous contestants gripped brooms and eyed their competition warily.

Dean padded over to Castiel looking determined. "Good luck out there Cas."

"You too Dean." Casteil looked surprised when Dean leaned over and lightly brushed his lips against his cheek. His face flushed as Dean proudly marched onto the field as if nothing had just happened.

Different tests were produced from catching the quaffle to protecting the goal. Poor Chuck could barely stay on his broom and gave up after the first round. He figured he preferred to be a fan rather a player. Don's nose got broken by an excitable bludger but he ignored the injury and beat the bludger with a frightening intensity. No one was surprised when he came away not only with a nose bleeding profusely but with the position of beater. He had actually held the position since his second year and easily made the team. David also worked his magic and the two high fived before pretending to beat each other with their bats. Jo was the first girl on the team as she scored the part of chaser. She was light on the broom and had a wonderful arm. She also wasn't scared of shit. The other chasers were a beautiful tough chick named Liz Warner and the more beautiful Fox Mulder. He grinned and put an arm around each girl and joked about being part of the Charlie's Angel's dynamic. Everyone groaned.

Castiel was amazed when he watched the way Dean blocked each goal with ease. Madame Hooch herself was unable to throw him off his game and when he landed his broom he was positively glowing. He gave fist pounds all around and actually hugged Castiel. Castiel felt giddy when he mounted his broom and attempted to ignore all of the staring faces. He left them behind mentally as he swept into the air gracefully. The first time Castiel had been on a broom it had been easy for him. He had frequent dreams of flying with feathered wings outstretched. He always assumed that he was some type of bird in his dreams. Castiel sped above the ground as he searched for the snitch. Other hopefuls flew around hoping to get a lucky glimpse of the small gold ball.

They all sped around for ten minutes before the snitch made an appearance. Castiel watched it speed around the arena, a glint of gold in the sun. Brooms sped and two fourth years nearly crashed into each other. Castiel caught sight of the ball again as it sped past a stand and then went low enough to hover by Dean. He tore after it and almost took out a grinning Dean. He landed waving the snitch excitedly. Dean pulled him right off his broom in a bear hug as Castiel laughed against his chest, the happiest he had ever been in his life.

"God Cas you were amazing out there!"

"Thanks Dean." Castiel looked at his sneakers blushing.

"We are gonna destroy those nasty ass Slytherins this year!" Dean high fived David as the others came over whooping loudly.

"Yeah you totally cock blocked Hooch out there!" Mulder shouted excitedly at Dean as he gave Castiel a playful punch to the arm.

"Yup we ain't touching balls with those Slytherin dicks out there. Aaand it looks like we got the fastest seeker out there! Hooch told me that no other team seeker caught it this fast."

Hooch smiled around at the new Gryffindor team. "Now that we have filled all of the positions, who is going to be the team captain?"

"I nominate Dean for team captain." Castiel looked a bit embarrassed when everyone looked at him but stood his ground.

"'ight. I'm down with it."

"Yeah, Dean, will you do it?"

Dean pretended to look unsure as the others grinned at him.

"Well the leader should be fearless, and brave, and handsome and tough as hell, and most of all humble. " Jo snorted at him." Dean put one foot on the bludger case with an arm in the air. "Since I'm the only qualified one, I humbly accept."


	4. Pool Partay

"Pool Part-ay"

The entire team cheered (even Jo) and they walked off the field toward the castle as the sky darkened. Castiel could feel a weird prickling in his back. It would turn painful and itchy and then return to a dull buzzing feeling. He twitched and looked embarrassed when he saw Don eyeing him.

"Hey Cas you're a Prefect right?"

"That is correct Don."

"So you have access to the huge ass Prefect bathroom?" Don and Mulder were sharing equally sneaky grins.

"Um… yes. What point are you making? I don't believe that I understand what you are getting at."

Dean laughed at Castiel and lazy put his arm around his shoulder. "I think they are hinting at possibly the sweetest Gryffindor pool party ever. You in?"

"Sure, I guess it isn't a problem as long as we don't get caught."

"Oookay. Mulder: you, Don, and David are in charge of drinks and candy. Get your asses to Hogsmead, we'll get your brooms for ya. Jo, you and Liz can round up the Gryffindors. Cas and I are gonna check out the scene and raid the kitchens."

"Come on Cas."

Castiel followed Dean feeling secretly pleased that he had just asked him to tag along.

"So Cas. Tell me more about you."

"Ummm…sure, what do you want to know?" Castiel rubbed the back of his neck nervously, an action that didn't escape Dean's notice. He thought the gesture was rather cute.

"Ok. Let's start with the basics Huggy Bear. Family?"

'Huggy Bear?' "Umm there's actually just me and Gabriel."

"Dad out of the picture?"

"Yes." Castiel looked down at the carpet as they walked.

"Sorry Cas. I can kinda relate. Sam and me just have Dad but he's never there. Too busy hunting monsters and tracking down death eaters. He's gone most of the year so Sam and I were glad to go to school. Things are less…lonely around here."

Castiel looked at Dean in wonder. He was surprised that Dean was actually talking about this to him. The armor and shield of bad humor were gone. "What about your mom?"

Dean grimaced. "Dead. Something killed her when I was a little kid. Sammy was just a baby. Once I get out of school I'm going to get the son of a bitch who killed her." Castiel reached out his hand to Dean who took it gratefully. "Thanks Cas" Dean said a bit huskily. He ran his thumb over Castiel's hand. Castiel shivered in response and walked closer to Dean. The pair walked in thoughtful silence for a while.

"Hey Cas."

"Dean?"

"What about your mom?"

"My dad said she died too. He always talked like he really liked her. He said she was an angel. Gabriel and I have different mothers but he is the only one I consider family."

"Soooo is your dad dead or just out of the picture?"

Castiel cleared his throat nervously. "In jail. Gabriel and I lived in an orphanage for a few years before we went to Durmstrang." His face burned with shame. "I've never told anyone that before."

"I'm glad you did Cas. Is it too much to ask how he got into jail? Don't worry my dad doesn't have the cleanest track record either." Dean could feel his arm tense.

"I don't know i-if I can. No one knows but Gabriel. Dean…I'm sorry… but I can't."

Dean pulled him into his arms. "Don't worry Cas. If you ever do feel like it, I've got your back." Dean stroked his hair and looked shocked when he felt hot tears soaking his shoulder when Castiel began to cry. "It's okay Cas. I've got you now. It's okay."

"Dean." Castiel sniffed. "You are amazing."

"You too Cas." Dean stepped up to the painting of fruit and tickled the pear. The painting swung open and they walked inside.

"Handkerchief sir?" A house elf squeaked at Castiel.

"Umm thanks. Yes please." Castiel blew his nose as Dean surveyed the kitchens with his hands on his hips. He let out a low whistle and looked impressed. The house elves were handing them stuffed bags of food before they even opened their mouths to ask. And when Dean was actually about to ask a small elf crammed a cream puff in his mouth.

"Thank you for coming!" The house elves bowed.

"Awesome guys. Nice haul." The house elves beamed at Dean and Castiel as they waved and wandered back out of the portrait.

"OW! Jesus Don! That was my foot not a fucking gas pedal."

"Sorry Foxy, maybe if I could see this would be easier." Don bumped into David and yelled at him.

"Watch where you're going!"

"Move over jack ass!"

"I can't see you David. Smile!

David rolled his eyes as they all tried to fit out of the tunnel at the same time. They clung on to their merchandise with pride. Mulder was especially smug since he had weaseled out some fire whisky from the pretty barmaid. This was going to be one helluva great party!

Castiel walked up to a portrait near the staircase and whispered the password 'pine fresh.' The portrait of a fatty in a bathtub opened swiftly and soon Dean and Castiel were inside.

"Holy shit! You lucky son of a bitch! This place is sweet Cas!"

The entire floor was decked out in beautiful and every expensive tile. The walls had carved shelves loaded with the softest looking towels imaginable and paintings of the sea; one of which was a very smug mermaid. The most impressive feature was the pool in the middle of the floor. There was no way that beast of a thing could be called a _bathtub._ It was covered in strange taps and had steps leading into it. The boys dumped their food onto a few vanity tables and got to work on filling the tub. Dean pulled out his phone and texted Mulder to grab his and Castiel's swimming trunks. Minutes later they were joined by the girls from fifth year and up. They kept it quiet from the 'children' thinking baby-sitting sounded lame. Dean winked at Castiel as he checked out the girls in their bathing suits. For some reason Castiel felt a stab of jealousy and wished they would go away.

"Now the party can start!" Gabriel came bursting in with Ash carrying coolers of butter beer. They were closely followed by Don, Mulder, and David who also were loaded with drinks. Dean was glad to see that Sam had left his bitch face in the dorm and was chatting away with Gabriel.

"Hey guys! Welcome to the one of many sweet Gryffindor parties! Help yourself to anything you like. Oh if you snitch on us you are dead to all Gryffindors and we will consider you lower than a Hufflepuff. Get going!" Dean stepped off a cooler and grabbed his shorts from Mulder.

Sam was unintentionally the first person in the pool. He was talking to Gabriel when all the sudden he felt Gabriel's arms around him before he went flying into the pool. Dean eyed them curiously as he set up the radio. He popped in a mixed CD just as Castiel came out clad only in his swimming trunks. They were a deep blue and looked beautiful against Castiel's ivory skin. Dean felt heat in his lower half and his cock twitched in interest. He pulled himself out of his day dream and pulled Cas into the pool with him.

Castiel looked surprised when he felt something brush the inside of his thigh. His eyes widened but he kept his arms locked around Dean as he felt his warmth radiating over him. Dean laughed softly. He was so close that Castiel was tempted to count each freckle again. Dean kissed Castiel lightly on the mouth and disappeared under the water, leaving a shocked Castiel behind.

"Gabriel stop it!" Sam was ducking and laughing as his tormenter picked him up and dunked him under the water. Sam clung onto his arms giggling when Gabriel kissed his cheek. They were lucky that Dean was too busy checking Castiel out to hound them or throw up in the pool.

Don, Jo, and Mulder were trying to see who could drink the most fire whisky shots and due to Mulder's loud complaining you could easily tell who was losing.

Everyone was obnoxiously loud and enjoying themselves when Ash came bolting in.

"Abandon ship dudes! Went out to take a crap when I noticed that bitch Miss Noris was following me. Filtch is coming!

Scully pulled out her wand and wand tidied things up with the help of other anal students who would actually know the spell. "Scourgify!"

Students snuck out in groups leaving behind Castiel and Dean who offered to wait last. They checked over things and looked satisfied. No evidence was left behind.

"Hey Cas. Come here."

Castiel nervously stepped over to Dean who was grinning wolfishly at him. He squeaked in shock as Dean wrapped his wet body around him and pulled him back into the pool. Castiel laced his arms around Dean's neck and caught his breath. He noticed that Dean was watching him closely. He shivered when he felt Dean's lips meet his in their first real kiss. It started out chaste as they simply stood there in th shallow end of the pool with their eyes shut. Dean began to deepen the kiss and grinned against Castiel's mouth when he felt it open meekly for him. Soon hands were everywhere as their tongues wandered in each other's mouths. Castiel gasped when he felt Dean's knee between his legs as he rubbed against his groin. He let his head fall back and Dean used that opportunity to leave small bites and kisses all over Castiel's exposed throat. Castiel whimpered and began grinding against Dean. He was delighted when he heard him groan into his mouth. Dean slipped his hand into Castiel's shorts and curled his fingers around him. Castiel cried out and clung onto him desperately. Dean's nails grazed Castiel's back and he looked startled when Castiel shook with pain. Something felt weird. Dean looked down and saw blood running down his fingers.

"Oh god Cas! Are you ok? Turn around!"

Castiel looked scared at Dean and quickly swam out of the pool. He wrapped a towel around his shoulders and hurried out of the bathroom leaving behind a very confused Dean.


	5. Me and Bobby McGee

**Hello all you lovely readers! First off I would like to thank Nathalie Andrews and Underworld's-Reject for the lovely reviews. Haha happy to know another X-Files/ Supernatural/Harry Potter fan. P.S. Love that you caught the Mulder/Luna sort of mash up! Glad that the story is proving to be a fun read, I am having the best time ever writing it! I understand that this story is very busy with different shows mixed into a Harry Potter cocktail, so I hope that even if you don't know one of the themes that you can still enjoy the characters. And the all the variance in details like world, age, and such. I'm sure it's a lot to switcharoo but I am really loving juxtaposing items that do not belong in "I forgot to go to the store so I will make a casserole out of leftovers" sort of dealio. Except I only work with the finest ingredients for my stories :p Thanks for reading, this is looking like it's going to be a looooong ride so buckle in!**

"Me and Bobby McGee"

Castiel got dressed in a pair of gray boxer shorts and pulled a shirt over his ruffled hair. He brushed his teeth and climbed into bed. He could see that Mulder and Don had fallen asleep on Don's bed. They were completely cuddled up with Don's head resting on Mulder's chest. Both had on goofy drunk looking smiles. He bet they were going to be furious when they woke up. David was nowhere to be found. Castiel figured that he had snuck away with the pretty fifth year he had seen him with at the party. He hugged his blanket as he shook with fever. Every time he moved it pulled at the wounds on his back. He could feel them stretch and ooze whenever he shifted. Castiel whimpered into his pillow as the hot blood soaked through the back of his shirt.

Dean snuck into the room quietly and got ready for bed. He pulled back his curtains and was about to go to sleep when he heard Castiel sobbing quietly into his pillow. He immediately shot out of bed and tiptoed over to Castiel's bed. He gently pulled him into his arms and carried him bridal style into the common room where he gingerly set Castiel on a soft couch and got him a glass of water. Dean slowly pulled the shirt off of Castiel and gently turned him around. His heart clenched in pain and shock as he saw the deep gashes coating Castiel's back. They looked stretched and left smears of blood all the way down to the small of his back.

"Shit Cas. We gotta get you some help." He put a hand to Castiel's forehead and felt that it was burning. He then reached down and pulled out…a feather?

"What the hell? Cas are you turning into a chicken on me?" Castiel whimpered in response. "Sonofabitch! There's more of them! If that damn Uriel hexed you…"

"No Dean, it wasn't one of the Slytherins."

"Then who Cas? Tell me so I can go shove my fist up that fucker's ass!"

"Me. I-I think my wings are growing back again."

Dean blinked stupidly at Castiel with a very attractive fish face. "You..you have wings? Are you serious Cas? Where'd they go? Do you just tuck them in your back? Can you fly? Does it-"

"Dean. Calm down. I was born with wings." He sighed and mustered up enough courage to confess. "My father didn't approve of anything out of the ordinary. I accidently turned his hair green one time and I didn't get to eat for days. My wings were much more obtrusive than a poor attitude so the punishment was greater. He…cut off my wings." Dean winced. "They kept growing back. I used to pray that they would stop. Each time they began to grow he would cut them out of my back. When Gabriel found out was going on he called the police and we hid in the coat closet. Dad used to hurt Gabriel too but he would still protect me whenever he could. I'm sure neither of us would still be alive if he hadn't been brave for both of us. The hardest part was when we got separated through the system. Gabriel got sent to Hogwarts when he was old enough and I was sent to Durmstrang. He's all I have. Well…was all I had until I met you, Dean."

Dean felt his heart melt as Castiel looked up at him with his innocent blue eyes. He cleared his throat. "Come on Cas. We are taking you to the nurse. Now."

"Dean no!"

"I won't let them hurt you. I promise. I don't want to see you in this much pain ever again."

Castiel bit his lip and then nodded at Dean. "Okay Dean. I trust you but I don't know if she will know what to do."

Dean ran a hand through his hair."I know! We can check in with Bobby. He's an old friend of my dad and may know a couple of things. He used to be an auror and now owns the Hogshead pub. We're gonna have to sneak out through the witch statue. Castiel leaned against Dean as they wandered out of the portrait.

Dean and Castiel snuck into the statue just as they heard Filtch whining to his cat. "It is not fair Miss Norris darling. I have bunions and hemorrhoids and I am sure I am a tinge green today. Must be flu season. I am sick and that stupid nurse refuges to make me a pepper-up potion. Might have to sneak into her stores and make myself one." He wandered off petting a purring Miss Norris. One couldn't tell if she was purring with a smugness for his tribulations or simply pleased by the cocktail of Vix and Niquil the squib was sporting.

"Hey Cas, wouldn't it be hilarious if we slipped something in his medicine? Dung bombs or some potion?" Dean wasn't very good with potions so he couldn't even think up a funny potion. He felt cheated out of a potentially good idea.

"That's not very nice Dean."

"Well he isn't exactly Mr. Sunshine Cas. Too bad Mulder's not here, he would have a field day with Filtch. Got a flash light?"

"Are you a wizard or not?"

"Oh yeah! Lumos." A small light highlighted his grin. "I think I would be lost without you Cas."

"With your erratic behavior I would have to be of the same opinion."

Dean giggled. "Hey Cas. If you were a dinosaur you would be a thesaurus!" When Castiel merely tilted his head questioningly at Dean, he was grateful for the dark of the tunnel. He cleared his throat and marched on ahead with his entire face burning. For all the times Castiel made him feel warm and fuzzy he was also great at making him feel like an idiot. Dean peeked his head out of the tunnel. "Looks clear. C'mon Cas."

Castiel was greeted with a hideously bright candy store. Walls were decked in strange sweets and even the floor was painted in candy colors. He half expected to see a fat kid shooting around in a chocolate tunnel. He was grateful that the lights were out and was about to ask Dean which way to go when he saw him cramming his mouth with peppermint toads.

"Mmmm so good! You have got to try these!"

"Dean you didn't pay for those!" Dean shrugged and accidently took a greedy bite out of a cockroach cluster. "Shit!" He turned green and threw up in a display jar as Castiel looked in complete shock at him. He pulled out a few sickles and galleons and left them on the counter as he dragged Dean out of the shop.

"Thanks Cas. I was weak in there." Castiel rolled his eyes. "Cas? Are you shaking?" Dean zipped up Castiel's hoodie all the way and put an arm around his shoulders. Dean hurried him past a series of bizarre shops and had to drag Castiel away from staring longingly at the most darling tea shop ever. "Cas, we may have kissed a couple times, but there is no way in hell I will ever be THAT gay." Castiel laughed softly and let Dean lead him on. "Here we are, the Hog's Head." Dean helped Castiel up the steps and into the warmth of the pub. Castiel looked around and clung nervously to Dean as he surveyed the rather shady looking people who were now eyeing them curiously. Dean importantly led the way to the counter and hollered for Bobby.

"Hold your horses kid. Bobby isn't here for your beck and call." Ellen frowned at the two boys. "Dean, aren't you and your friend supposed to be up at the castle? Get your buns back to bed and come back when you are allowed too."

Bobby came out of the back with an unopened bottle of fire whisky. "What're you two igits doing here? It's not safe running around in the town after hours. And you two are too young to even count as wizards." Bobby fixed them with an intense frown. Castiel pulled back until he noticed the friendly twitch at the corner of Bobby's mouth. "So Dean. Just come up for a visit? You'd better not just be here for the fire whisky."

"You know me too well, but I am actually here for your fire whisky and information."

"Greedy Goblin. So what do you boys want to know? Oh and don't tell any of those idiots at that school about this." Bobby placed two small glasses in front of the boys and poured in some fire whisky. "Your friend looks half dead Dean. Drink that up now boy."

"Ooops sorry Bobby I almost forgot! This is Casiel, he's new to the school and is actually pretty decent." Castiel smiled at him and sipped at his whisky. He pulled a face in shock of the electric taste and glared at its contents. The liquid was a chameleon of colors and mutated from a fiery red to dull amber and the drink itself burned like fire in the throat.

"Haha first time kiddo?"

Castiel nodded, took a breath, and gulped down the last of the drink. He set it down in front of Bobby with a determined face. "May I please have another?"

Dean slapped him on the shoulder laughing as Bobby poured him another. "You never cease to amaze me Cas." Castiel offered him a pleased smile before he felt something tearing his skin yet again. He swayed on the chair as he felt blood beginning to seep through his shirt and jacket.

"Sorry kid, must have given you too much-hey are you okay?" Bobby caught Castiel as the world spun behind his blue eyes and he tumbled off of the bar stool. "Shit! What's wrong with him? Is this why you came out here? Shoulda said something you idgit!" Dean bit his lip and followed Bobby as he carried Castiel's limp body upstairs.

Bobby gently helped Castiel sit on the bed. Casyiel moaned softly but stayed upright at Bobby made quick work of the zipper on his jacket before slowly peeling away the shirt sticking to torn skin. "What the- how the hell did this happen Dean? He looks like a Rugaru was snaking on him."

"No, not a Rugaru. Bobby…he's growing wings."

"He's what?"

"…" Dean looked at his shoes.

"Okay. Ummmm… Let's get him patched up and then we can try and figure out why he's…growing…wings. Are you su-"

"Yes Bobby! He's freakin' sprouting feathers out of holes in his back!"

"_FEATHERS?_ Christ that's one helluva hex! Do you know who hexed you sonny?"

"No. It's not a hex. I-I used to have wings." Castiel nervously rubbed the back of his neck and avoided Bobby's eyes.

"You WHAT? What are you?" Castiel clung on Dean's arm as Bobby advanced toward him with his wand at the ready.

"Dammit Bobby! He's not a monster! Calm down. I'm sure there is a perfectly legit…wholesome reason why he is sprouting out feathers."

"You sure about that Dean? How long have you known the boy you igit, a month?"

"Trust me. Please just trust me Bobby." Dean stared him down as he supported Castiel's shaking shoulders.

"Okay Dean. I trust you." Bobby sighed. "I think I'm just scared about what this could mean."

"Bobby? We all aren't getting any younger here. And believe me, that is a bigger problem for you than for us. What the hell do you think this means?"

"Hang on a sec. I'm gonna send up Ellen with some things to patch up Castiel while I check out a few books and maybe make a couple of calls." Bobby wandered down stairs looking thoughtful.

"You OK Cas? Jesus you are bleeding everywhere, you sure you're still alive?"

Castiel chuckled weakly as Dean pulled him against his chest and planted a fierce kiss on his forehead. "Yes Dean. I am currently alive. I-" Castiel lurched forward as another spasm of pain ripped though his body.

"Shit. Holy fu- Cas? I think your wings are…coming out. Hell I think I can see them! Should I try and pull them out?"

"NO." Castiel's voice was even gruffer with the pain. "I think they aren't finished developing yet. You wouldn't try and pull out a tooth when it was growing in?" Castiel fixed him with a tired stare.

"Ummm…no. I guess not Cas. I'm just sick and tired of watching your own body hurt itself like this. It's sick."

Castiel put his forehead against Dean's. "Don't worry Dean. It will all be over soon. I'm just worried about, well what am I going to do with a pair of wings at school?"

"Shh Cas. You shouldn't be comforting me." Dean sneakily wiped a tear off his cheek. "If those shits say anything about them I will kick all of their sorry asses. And after what I saw you do to Alistair and Uriel, I wouldn't be too scared."

"Thanks Dean." Castiel dozed off against Dean's chest as Ellen came up with an armful of medical supplies.

"Kid asleep?"

"Yup. Been a long day."

Ellen nodded and reached down to pet Castiel's sweat-dampened hair with a hand. She could kick an ogre out of the bar any day, but Ellen really was a mothering type at heart. "This is going to hurt him. I need you to keep him still, Dean."

"Sure Ellen." Dean put on a face braver than what he actually felt. He gently laid Castiel down on his stomach and grasped his hand.

"You ready Dean?" Ellen looked at him with a hint of hesitation.

"Yes dammit, just get it over with!"

Ellen gave him a stern glare and placed a lamp next to the bed as she surveyed the damage. She let out a low whistle in sympathy as her hand traced around the jagged flesh. She poured some steaming purple liquid onto a clean cloth and gently began to clean the gashes. Castiel woke up and began to thrash about as steam came off his wounded back.

"Shit! Is he supposed to be smoking like a freakin' Cuban cigar?"

Ellen laughed at Dean's panicked face. "Yes it is. Shut your girly mouth and keep Castiel calm. This stuff stings like a real bitch."

Dean mouthed 'sonofabitch' as Castiel attempted to break every bone in his hand. Or at least that's what it felt like. Ellen poured some of a sticky salve onto her hand and gently smeared it over the cuts as she gasped in surprise.

"Dean, these aren't just cuts, they're holes in his back? What's going on with him?"

"Wish I knew Ellen. Bobby's doing some research. All we know is that he's growing wings."

"Poor kid." Ellen started to smooth clean bandages over his back. "I guess I can't sew him up then. What are you planning on doing Dean? Are these just going to keep ripping open until he looks like a bird?"

Dean glanced down at Castiel. "I really don't know Ellen. I-I don't have a plan. We were just sorta… winging it."

Ellen groaned at Dean's horrible joke and began filling a basket with salve and bandages.

"What we taking those to Grandma's house?"

"Shut up Dean. I want you to bandage the kid up whenever he needs it. I also packed up some fire whisky and a potion that should help ebb some of his pain and keep out infection. Make him swallow a mouthful of it once before bed and once in the morning until it's gone. I threw in a couple of Honeydukes sweets. Those are for Jo, not you. Need anything else you know where I am. Got it?"

Dean nodded as he eyed the sweets. He was sure Jo didn't like Bertie Botts so he figured he could at least pilfer those before Jo got her greedy hands on them."Yes Ma'am. Thanks Ellen." He gave Ellen his most charming grin. Ellen rolled her eyes and placed a wet cloth on Castiel's forehead before heading downstairs to see if she could bother any information out of Bobby. Dean curled his body around Castiel and drifted off.

"Dean. Get up boy! Is your angel asleep?"

Dean sputtered. "My what?"

"Angel. I know what your Castiel is. A bonafide angel."

"That's crazy. Stop pulling my leg. Cas is sweet and all put you can't really believe that he's an _angel_?" Dean whispered loudly.

"Yessireebob I do. I believe we have a fallen angel on our hands. He must have been sent from heaven for something. I just can't see why he has been living as a kid wizard."

"So…this isn't really Cas?"

"No idiot this is Cas. He may have been born like a human and not even known it. I truly believe that the kid doesn't know himself."

"Should we tell him?"

"No. Well I guess if you think it will help him. Poor thing is a confused mess. Now listen. Have you heard from your dad lately?"

"No, why?"

"While you have been turning rats into teacups we have been seeing some dark things down here. Demons. You know what that means?"

"Lucifer's back?" Dean hollered.

"Shh don't shout it you idiot! Yes." Bobby glanced at the door. "I think this means he's back. He's been gathering his army. Demon sightings all over London. He's also decided to add to his repertoire. Trolls have been acting up lately and the vampires are no longer in hiding." Bobby leaned in closer. "His followers have also been getting up to trouble. I heard that Zachariah himself escaped from Azkaban. Strange things are brewing and I don't like it one bit. I think we are lucky to have an angel with us, if he ever snaps out of his amnesia."

Dean looked pale at Bobby. "Bobby, you can't expect me to hear all this without busting out more fire whisky. Damn way to lay a bomb on me, this stuff isn't even in the papers! What will people do if they find out about this?"

"Let's hope they don't too soon. We don't need everyone panicking until we actually know what's going on. So keep your trap shut. Now, I don't want you wandering down here every night so stay up in that school. No listen. Is Remus Lupin your professor? Yes? Good. He is actually a hunter and a very good one. You can trust him. He went to school with your dad. If you need anything, got to him first."

Castiel rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up, wincing. "Dean? What time is it?"

"Shit we gotta get back to the castle! Can you use floo network here Bobby?"

"Sure. Just don't come down here after I send you back.. If I see you try and step back out of my fireplace I am gonna light a real fire."

Dean held up his hands in surrender. "Okaaay Bobby. Understood. C'mon Cas." Dean wrapped an arm around Castiel as he helped him hobble out of the room. He turned back and grinned at Bobby. "Thanks. And keep us updated or we are going to jump out of your fire."

Bobby watched the two slowly make their way down stairs and shook his head. "Idiots."


	6. Quidd Ich

**Hello all you lovely readers (special shout out to ****Underworld's-Reject**** for 2/3 reviews, you rock!) I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am :D**

"Quidd-Ich"

Dean helped Castiel into his bed. As he turned to leave Castiel grabbed his hand. "Please stay Dean…"

"Sure Cas." Dean pulled Castiel into his arms as Castiel buried his face in Dean's neck.

"Dean?"

Dean sighed contentedly and stroked Castiel's hair. "What's up Cas?"

"Nothing. Just…I'm glad you're here. Thanks Dean."

"Don't worry Cas I kinda like looking after you." Dean kissed him on the cheek and fell asleep.

Castiel nuzzled under Dean's chin and gazed at the ceiling. He didn't know how to tell Dean that he had heard everything he and Bobby had said. He didn't even know if he believed it himself. Castiel dreamed of flying that night with fire on his wings and Uriel and Alistair chasing him on bludgers. He sat up blinking and felt a sick feeling in his gut that kept him awake for the rest of the night: tomorrow was the first quidditch match and it was against Slytherin.

"What the hell Mulder!"

"God Don I swear when I woke up your hand was down my pants!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

Everyone in the dorm was awakened when Don and Mulder woke up in the same bed, still in their swimming trunks from the night before. They were now standing on opposite sides of the bed peeking at each other in horror with their hair in disarray.

"Well know what?"

"WHAT MULDER!"

"Stop shouting my head hurts. What I was going to say was that this is MY bed. So YOU must have been the one who crawled in last night. This is your fault not mine!"

Dean growled and sat up. "HEY LADIES! Stop the lovers spat and try shutting the hell up! I have one hell of a hangover and I do not plan on dealing with you today!"

Mulder threw a pillow at Don's face. "I'm going to go get some breakfast. Coming honey? Oh and that wandering hand of yours? Felt really nice."

Don gave him a look of pure horror as Mulder pulled a shirt over his tousled hair and sped downstairs laughing. Even Castiel couldn't hold back a snort of laughter as he and Dean go out of bed and pulled on some clothes. Dean clapped a hand on Don's shoulder. "C'mon man. Game today, let's go feed our faces so we can beat the shit out of those Slytherins!"

Castiel sat glumly at the breakfast table as his friends attempted to force breakfast down his throat.

"Man you do not look good. Nerves?" David scooted onto a bench next to them.

"Yeah, I wasn't on the team at Durmstrang. This is my first year actually playing for a team."

"Seriously? Their players must be quidditch gods!" Mulder gulped down a piece of toast worriedly. He was wearing an "I Want to Believe in Crumpled Horn Snorkaks" t-shirt.

Castiel smiled. "Not entirely. I didn't try out for the team."

"Well then, we are some lucky sons of bitches. To Gryffindor!" The Dean raised his goblet of pumpkin juice and the rest of the Gryffindor table followed suit. There was no way in hell those Slytherin jerks were going to beat them, the Gryffindors weren't taking crap from anybody!

The Gryffindors wandered out of the common rooms hollering and swinging at each other with their brooms.

"Hey Cas!" Dean jogged to catch up with him. "You sure you can play out there today? You look like crap. No use playing if you die out there."

Castiel smiled. "Don't worry about me Dean. You just make sure you block those goals." Castiel reached out and squeezed Dean's hand before joining the rest of the team.

"Team captains? Shake hands. Let's have a nice clean game gentlemen." Dean and Uriel shook hands with daggers in their eyes and each attempted to break the other's fingers with grips of death. "Okay, on my whistle." Hooch blew the whistle and brooms rose into the air simultaneously

"Welcome to the first game of quidditch for the season! I am your sexy, smooth talking commentator Gabriel, and the loud mouth on my left is my co-host Ash. We will keep all you cheap folks who forgot to buy omnoculars informed as the game progresses."

"Goooo Gryffindors! Let's win this! There goes the new Gryffindor team captain. Ladies and gents, put your paws together for Dean Winchester!" Dean waved to the crowd and did an impressive spin in the air.

"Here comes the rest of the Gryffindor team: Don Eppes, Fox Mulder, Jo Smith, David Sinclair, Liz Warner, and this year's seeker… Castiel Novak!" The rest of the team made a loop around Dean as they beamed at the crowd. Castiel hoped he wouldn't be sick all over the audience.

"Can I hear a hollah?" The crowd cheered as Ash fist pumped the air.

"Uuggh here comes the soon to be losing team and ugliest bunch of suckers I ever saw. Let's see if we can clap as loud as when their mother's got slapped for having them, I give you the Slytherins." Both Gabriel and Ash pulled faces as they announced the team. They really did look like an ugly, evil lot.

"Aaaaand they're off!" Hope they can find the snitch in this rain!"

"Well those greasy Slytherins sure do need a bath! Just remember kiddies…you can't polish a turd!" Ash and Gabriel high fived.

"Looks like Gryffindor is in possession of the quaffle-score! Gryffindor 10-0!"

"Oh no! Here comes the Slytherin chaser Colby! He's got the quaffle…he shoots aaand MISSES! Sucker!" Ash squinted through his omnoculars trying to see through the rain.

"Here comes a pair of ugglies, Alistair and Uriel! Watch out for their bludgers!"

Castiel tuned out the sounds of the crowd as he spied around for the snitch. Blinking rain out of his eyes, Castiel sped past the goal posts and thought he saw…a glint of gold? He sped his broom forward in the attempt to keep the Slytherin seeker, Gordon, out of his way. The other seeker was shooting around the Slytherin stand to elicit some cheers. He figured that the game was in the bag and was extremely confident about the game until Uriel hissed at him "Novak's found the snitch. Get it, Alistair and I will find a way to…distract him. Go!"

Gordon turned his broom around sharply and searched quickly for Castiel as Uriel muttered a plan to Alistair and Lilith. Lilith sped in front of Don and rammed her broom into his, forcing Hooch to call a foul and let Don get a free shot at the Slytherin goal post. The quaffle got in and Don fist pounded Jo while stopping his bloody nose with the other hand. During all of the excitement Alistair and Uriel had driven the bludgers toward Castiel and began to manipulate them toward him. Castiel hardly even noticed as a ball whooshed past his ear. He did notice when one hit Dean in the stomach causing the keeper to fall off of his broom he held the snitch tightly in his hand as he sped towards Dean. He felt someone grasp the back of his broom…Uriel! The now attentive crowd gasped as Dean plummeted toward the muddy ground. Without thinking, Castiel lurched off his broom after Dean. He felt wind and rain attacking his face as he let out a small prayer for Dean's safety. Castiel gasped as he felt both wings rip right out of his back. Blinking back tears of pain, Castiel dove and grasped Dean in his arms. They landed softly with Castiel still holding a very shocked Dean.

"Cas?"

"Yes Dean?"

"Nice wings."

Dean turned green and threw up in the grass as Castiel stood there shaking. He heard a strange whirring noise and noticed that the snitch had followed him to the ground. Castiel held it above his head to the silent crowd. Soon the stands erupted with applause and cheers (except for the Sytherin's groaning.) Castiel began to topple over and Dean caught him as the rest of the team joined them grinning as if their Keeper hadn't almost just died. Now the school finally had something to talk about, and you know how word gets around. But no one had noticed the yellow eyes of Azazel observing the game from the edge of the forest, and no one saw him quietly whisper his findings into Lucifer's ear. A fallen angel had regained his wings.


	7. Loony Lupin and Spooky Mulder

"Looney Lupin and Spooky Mulder"

The days were getting colder and the nights longer. Dean recovered quickly from his near death experience with the help of bragging and half the Honeyduke's shop. Castiel was embarrassed to find that he was the talk of the school. People he didn't even know visited him in the hospital wing as the skin around his newly erupted wings healed. Castiel had to tuck his wings behind his back as first years attempted to 'pet' him. It was all quite unsettling.

"Hey Cassiopeia! Got your homework, ready to start groveling?" Mulder grinned at Castiel as he and Don lugged in all of Castiel's make up work and textbooks. "You missed it, in potions today Snape farted next to a cauldron and I swear it turned green and blew up. No lies, ask Don." Don nodded at Castiel smugly as Mulder stole a chocolate frog and sat on the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Don pulled up a chair ready to drill Castiel with questions as Dean snored on the bed next to him. He had booted out a girl that had come in with the after math of a bat-bogey hex and was now pleasantly cuddled in her bed.

"Much better Don, thanks."

"I like your wings, they make me think of Icarus. Just don't fly too high or your wings will melt off."

"…thanks Mulder." Castiel eyed the 'Do the Flobberworm' t-shirt he was currently sporting.

"You were awesome on the field Cas! Not only can you fly a broom, but you can actually fly! How cool is that?" Castiel smiled at Don weakly. He really did not want to think about how he was going to survive going to school with _wings _on his back. Mulder and Don left later after they had depleted most of Castiel's chocolate frogs.

Castiel opened the folder and smiled. Scully had organized him a chart breaking up his homework into neat little study sessions and highlighted copies of her notes. He frowned when he saw one of Dean's 'Busty Asian Beauties' magazines tucked into a book. This was probably why Dean was struggling to pass History of Magic. Castiel found a small envelope tucked in his notes for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He pulled the letter out. It was written in the tidy looping writing of Professor Lupin.

'_Hello Castiel,_

_I know that we have not talked much outside of class, but you truly are a brilliant student. Bobby told me that you and Dean talked to him. When you are feeling well enough, please drop by my classroom. I have a few…off the record things to tell you._

_Cheers and wishes for a speedy recovery,_

_Professor Lupin_

Castiel glanced curiously down at the letter and tucked it among the other papers as Dean talked about burgers loudly in his sleep.

Castiel slowly made his way towards Lupin's office with Dean at his side. He had insisted on coming, not caring if he was Bobby's friend. Who knew if he was a creep or not? They stepped into a very cozy looking office with book shelves lining the walls and a desk made of polished dark wood. Lupin was sitting at his desk. Lupin was a very handsome man, but looked too tired and stressed for his age. Grey flecked his hair but his eyes were as intelligent as ever.

"Hell boys. Pull up a chair." Lupin smiled warmly at them and relit the fire in the smoking fireplace. Lupin passed them each a butterbeer, much to Dean's delight. He no longer suspected Lupin of being a crook. Lupin took a sip. "Bobby talked to me about both of you. It seems you are in a bit of danger, so I am here to help. First off, how are you feeling Castiel?"

"Much better professor." Castiel gave him a small smile. It was wonderful to not have his wings trying to rip out of his body at every second. Sure the stitches itched like crazy, but compared to days before, he felt amazing.

"Good. Now, do you remember how to hide them?"

"How to w-what?" Castiel titled his head to the side.

"Hide your wings. They are nothing to be afraid of, just dangerous. Have you no memories of being an angel?" Dean gave him a worried look.

"No. Are you being serious? Am I really an angel, I'm not sure I even believe they exist." Castiel eyed him curiously with his head tilted in a confused manner.

Lupin smiled at him. "Yes Castiel. You are an angel. You have been sent to earth for some purpose, and I believe that it must have something to with the return of Lucifer. He was sealed away in his box years ago, but his followers have broken all 66 seals. He has returned and is not likely to make the same mistakes. I do not know exactly how you fit in the picture, but I am here to help you." Lupin didn't see Dean checking out the lunar chart that mapped the progression of the moon's path and the highlighted full moons. Dean was now looking uncomfortable and spying suspiciously into his butter beer bottle.

"When you talked about hiding my wings, what did you mean exactly? Like tucking them away?"

"No. Rendering them invisible to unwanted eyes." Lupin leaned in closer. "I have heard that the enemy is searching for you Castiel, not specifically but for you, but an angel born and raised as a human. My good friend Sirius is currently tailing Azazel with your father Dean. We still know so little and it is very dangerous to track the devil's right hand demon. Oh and about those wings. Try to make them disappear."

"How?"

Lupin sat there thoughtfully. "Just close your eyes and imagine them gone. You have powers you don't even know about, how else would your wings come springing out when you needed them? I believe that you must have kept something like a muscle memory of things you once did as an angel." He chuckled. "There is not much lore on angels. Much of it was destroyed when Lucifer fell. He ordered its destruction as he walked the earth with terror in every footstep and not much was even known about angels or heaven in the first place. Close your eyes and try to remember."

Castiel felt rather ridiculous but closed his eyes. He didn't notice Dean's eyes tracing over his features from his dark eyelashes to his soft, full mouth. He did something he didn't often do: let his normally loud mind quiet down to a dull buzz…until there was no sound, not thought, or even existence. A pale light emitted from Castiel's wings as he sat in the chair.

Dean gasped. "Cas, your wings…they're gone! Just vanished like nobody's business." Castiel looked confused at Dean. He almost sounded disappointed that they were no longer out in the open.

"Are they really?" Castiel tried to glance behind him making Dean and Lupin laugh. He was just too darn cute sometimes. "Strange. I can still feel them." His face broke into a smile and he hugged Lupin, something he normally wouldn't do. Castiel wasn't the most loving person in the physical sense, but he felt the emotion strongly within his reserved person. "Thank you. Hopefully the rest of the school will forget about them too."

Lupin smiled. "It's getting late, you two should probably head back to your dorms before Umbridge sees you. Be wary of her. She knows what happened at the quidditch match and will be keeping an eye on you. Not everyone in the Ministry of Magic is to be trusted. They are often quite misinformed and are not kind to those who step out of social norms. I will keep you posted as soon as I learn anything, please try to be as discrete as possible. If you need to talk to me please do, stop by my office. Owls have been intercepted. Good night boys, I will see you in class tomorrow."

Castiel said good night while Dean gave Lupin a silent nod. He was quiet as he and Castiel left the classroom. Castiel kept glancing at him curiously. "Dean?"

"Yeah Cas?"

"What's wrong? You seem troubled."

"Well I am Huggy Bear. I don't know why Bobby trusts this guy!"

Castiel looked confused. "But he's helping us Dean. He even helped me disguise my wings. I feel that we should trust him."

"Well I don't Cas," Dean sounded gruff and unmoved. "Did you notice the chart on his wall?"

"The one on kelpies or the lunar chart?"

"Second guess is the ticket. Cas, the dude's a werewolf."

Castiel eyed him quietly. "He is very nice though, I wouldn't have expected that. I'm sure he can't help being a werewolf."

"Cas don't you get it? Werewolves are evil. They kill people you dumb son of a bitch!" Castiel looked hurt at him. "My dad has hunted werewolves. I don't get how he can be fraternizing with the enemy!"

Castiel's eyes glinted in anger and he pushed Dean against the way. "Dean, people may think you are stupid, but I know that you are not. If your dad and Bobby trust him, why can't you?"

"He doesn't even count as a person, he's not human Cas!" Dean shouted in Castiel's face.

"Well neither am I." Castiel looked at him with his blue eyes cold. "Going to kill me too now? Is that part of your hunter code? Humans are evil Dean! I've seen what they do to each other and the taint of hate on many of their hearts. The man I thought was my father hurt me and my brother with no explanation and he can live? I do not comprehend your definition of justice." Castiel turned and left Dean in the hallway so he couldn't see the tears beginning to sting in his eyes. Of all people he had figured Dean truly accepted him. What if Castiel continued down this transforming path and began to lose his humanity? Castiel did not want to lose Dean, he didn't know if he could without tearing himself apart. Castiel ran into the dormitory and bumped into Mulder.

"Hey Cas buddy-what's wrong?" He eyes searched Castiel's face in concern.

Castiel couldn't help it and let the tears come. The wall was coming down now that Castiel could see that he had things to lose on the other side. "It's Dean…" He gulped back tears. "We…we had a fight."

Mulder hugged him and made him sit down on the edge of the bed. He sat next to him while the worst of the tear storm passed. "Want to talk about it?"

Castiel bit his lip and finally nodded. "I'm scared Mulder. I thought I was just this regular kid from a screwed up family." Mulder smiled, the definition defiantly fit both of them. "It sounds crazy, but friends of Dean's dad who are hunters believe that I am an…angel." He looked at his shoes in shame waiting to be ridiculed. He forgot that he was dealing with Fox Mulder.

"Huh. Wasn't sure if those were real until not, but it I believe it."

Castiel looked surprised at Mulder who nodded at him to continue. "I am truly afraid for the first time. I am used to being alone, and it used to not bother me but now I am learning that I am not the person I used to be…I'm possibly not even human."

"There's another issue here. I sort of think I'm getting to know you better, and I know you wouldn't simply fear for yourself. What is really eating at you Castiel?"

Castiel swallowed nervously. "Dean. I think I'm losing him. All his talk about killing monsters has me worried. What if he doesn't like me anymore now that he knows I'm not human?"

"I wouldn't say that. Dean and I have been friends for years, he just likes to say stupid things. Sometimes his brain and mouth don't properly pass on the same message." He looked at Castiel with a smug smile. "He loves you Castiel." Castiel looked startled. "He really does Cas. I've never seen him like this. He rarely full on dates somebody but he has never seemed so…connected to anyone. I think he is just too scared to say anything so you may have to be the one to give Mr. Smooth Talker the push instead."

"Really?"

"Really, really. Trust me, he wants you baaaaaad."

Castiel laughed and threw a pillow at Mulder. "So what about you?"

"Hmmmm?"

"You seemed to understand having a dysfunctional story."

Mulder nodded. "Things were great for my family when I was a kid. Then everything got screwed to hell. I was supposed to be watching my little sister when my parents went out to town." Shame began to ring through his normally relaxed baritone. "My sister was abducted, and I swear its aliens! No one believes me though so I have to keep searching for her. I lost my own sister…after that the family fell apart and my parents divorced. Once I get out of here I will find Samantha. I will do anything to find her." Castiel hugged him.

"You will Mulder. I'm almost scared for the aliens." Mulder grinned at him and Castiel smiled back. "So. What is going on between you and Don? I think I sense some secret feelings?"

"No way in hell!' Mulder's ears went a bit pink. "Forgot my book downstairs, glad we had this talk." Mulder shot off downstairs leaving behind Castiel who simply shook his head. Now he wondered how he was going to tell Dean that he…loved him? It was scary to even say it aloud to himself. Castiel hoped that Dean would even talk to him after their argument. He chewed his fingernails as he waited for Dean to come upstairs.

"Cas? Are you asleep?"

Castiel sat up. "No Dean, I am very much awake. And you?"

"Obviously awake Cas." For being so smart he sure could be a dummy."Hey, I wanted to apologize for earlier. You are right about everything and I fully support the idea of Looney Lupin howling at the moon and you flashing those beautiful wings of yours."

Castiel peeked at Dean hopefully. "Do you really find them beautiful?"

Dean gulped and turned red. 'Uhh..yeah."

Castiel smiled and close his eyes as his wings fluttered into view. Dean looked at him in amazement. He was one gorgeous dude with his large blue eyes and dark tousled hair against light, porcelain skin. Dean crawled on Castiel's bed and took both sides of his face in his hands. He traced a thumb over the soft skin of his cheek and trailed it over Castiel's soft bottom lip. He leaned in and kissed Castiel with all the tenderness in the world. His hands made their way over to Castiel's wings and he gently let his hands run over the soft feathers. "So beautiful Cas," Dean whispered and kissed him again. The kiss deepened and Castiel felt warmth seeping through his body as Dean explored his mouth with his tongue. Castiel's eyes widened as Dean slipped one hand down his torso and found the growing bulge in his pants. He whimpered softly as Dean slid his fingers around him and kissed his neck. Dean's hand was about to travel into Castiel's pants when the angel's sensitive ears picked up on feet padding up the stairs. He kissed Dean sweetly on the mouth. "Good night Dean." It took all of Dean's will power to leave his bed as he told him 'good night' in that sexy voice of his. Dean stole a quick kiss and climbed into bed as the rest of the boys came in yawning. Castiel felt like kicking himself for not telling Dean about his feelings, but he figured he still had what-tomorrow? The rest of the year? Castiel fell asleep feeling more content than he had in a long time but still slightly unsatisfied. Damn that hot Dean Winchester!


	8. Wizard Duel or Dupe?

"Wizard Duel or Dupe"

Castiel walked into Herbology grinning as Dean walked with him carrying his books. Dean really was a great guy. What worried him was the fact that they didn't really talk about what was sort of going on between them. A few stolen kisses and Castiel was lost forever. He knew that he didn't simply have a crush on Dean; it went deeper and made him ache for things he didn't understand. Dean still flirted with the ladies so Castiel was unsure what to think. He walked quickly past the Slytherins as they glowered at him and Dean. Clearly they weren't as happy about the Gryffindor win as they Gryffindors were. As they got to work emptying seeds out of puff pods Uriel came over.

"Hey chocolate man, come to congratulate us on our win?" Dean smiled smugly at him and went back to giving his plants some attention.

Uriel narrowed his eyes at him. "Of course not Winchester. You cheated anyway. The rule book says nothing about sprouting wings and catching the snitch."

Don looked up after his puff pod spit a seed in his face looking furious. "The rule book does say that hitting players with bludgers off the clock is illegal. Shut your fat ugly face. Cas caught the snitch before he fell off his broom so suck it."

Alistair had come over to hover by Uriel's shoulder and their friends Colby and Krychec were eyeing them now. "Just came by to drop off a note. Be there." Uriel handed Dean a note. Uriel and Alistair wandered back to their table.

"What's it say?"

"Dunno. Haven't read it yet, give me a chance?" Don, Mulder, and Castiel stood back eyeing Dean solemnly as he read through the letter. He handed it to Castiel while the other two read over his shoulder.

"Uriel is requesting we join him, Alistair, Krychec, and Colby in a wizards duel?" Castiel didn't understand what the problem with these thugs was. "How should we respond?"

"Cas. When someone threatens you, you punch their lights out. Uriel has threatened us, so we are going to punch is god damn lights out!" Dean already looked ready for battle.

"When and where?"

Castiel shook his head as the other three looked pumped from a testosterone overdrive.

"Tonight in the west tower. We are supposed to be there at midnight. Any thoughts? This could be a trap, they are quite cowardly."

"We gotta try Cas. Those dicks have been annoying me since we year first years. When Sammy first got here this year, he tortured him too. When he hurt Sam, things became personal real fast." Dean's eyes glowered and he flexed his fingers as if wishing he could strangle Uriel right there.

"He did mention that others in his gang will be there. Hopefully they are looking for a fair fight, we do seem to have one person for each of theirs." Mulder smiled as he tickled the puff pod and it spit out all of the seeds perfectly into the bowl, much to Don's chagrin. His pod was still shooting him in the face every second it got.

Dean glanced at Professor Sprout who was making her way towards them. Dean leaned over and whispered "Meet up in the common room at 11:30. I want to be there early so we can survey the battle ground and make sure those sons of bitches haven't set up anything funky." The others nodded and pretended to be fascinated by the work they were doing as Sprout smiled down at them. Once she left Mulder aimed a puff pod at Don and threw it at his face. It exploded with seeds and puffy flowers falling everywhere. Mulder ducked behind his table just when Don threw his puff pod at him hitting Scully in the face. Scully and the rest of the girls at her table gave the boys haughty glares as they feigned ignorance and innocently went back to work.

"Told you Don's great with the ladies." Mulder grinned as he saw Sprout lecture Don about destroying puff pods in the classroom. He gave him a death glare. Castiel wondered if they were going to even make it to the duel without killing each other first. He sighed and began putting away his gardening things. He was not eager for this fight, and was naturally a pacifist, not to mention the fact that he was terrified that he would find out something else in the midst of the fight. He really did not like to see what violence brought out of him.

The boys hung around in the common room as they waited for twelve o' clock. Gabriel and Ash floated around forever and Sam sat stubbornly in a squashy armchair pouting.

"C'mon Dean! I want to help too! You never let me do anything and I am not a kid!"

"You are going to get your ass to bed and forget about it! These are Slytherins we are talking about. They do not fight fair and I don't want to save your sasquatch ass if you get into trouble! Hear me?" Dean glared fiercely at Sam.

"I hear you but I'm not listening. I'm going and that's that."

Dean exploded. "You are staying here and that's final. You come after us and I will kick your butt so hard that you will wish that a Slytherin had done it." He glanced back at his friends. "It's time to go." Dean marched out of the portrait as the rest of the group gave Sam sympathetic looks.

Sam stood in his too short pajamas holding back frustrated tears. Gabriel came over and slung an arm over his shoulder. "How about we go crash an illegal wizard's duel, hmm?"

"Here we are. West Tower. Now where are those sneaky sons of bitches?"

"We are rather early Dean. Perhaps they aren't here yet?" Castiel glanced around the tower. It was a rather large room, most likely for storage. Long forgotten books slumped on dusty shelves and a cracked mirror graced one corner. Luckily, most of the junk lined the walls and there was plenty of room for a fight.

Dean grinned. "That gives us the advantage. Look around for certain vantage points. The territory can be used against us or for us. We'd better make sure we keep an eye on the door. That's where the Slytherins will be high tailing it out of here!"

"Oh will we now. Mmmm very interesting. Too excited to wait?" Alistair's nasally voice pierced the air.

"Oh you don't even now the half of it sweetheart." Dean grinned at him and pulled out his wand. "I have been dying to knock in that ugly nose of yours to see if that's why you talk like a bitch on helium."

Alistair smiled at him as Uriel, Krychec, Colby, Lilith, and Meg stepped up behind him. Dean sputtered in outrage. "W-what? Damn you sneaky sons of bitches! And I thought we were going to have a fair fight? Sure overestimated your sorry asses. Should have now you would need back up when trying to fight a Winchester."

"Oh and we are cheaters? Look behind you. Seems you aren't the only Winchester to waltz in here." Uriel smiled coldly as Dean slowly turned around and glared at Sam and Gabriel.

"What did I tell you stupid bastard? Get the hell out of here!"

"No Dean, your Sammy boy and I are here to stay. Can't look out after your family without having them look out for you." Gabriel nodded at Castiel. "Now it looks like we have an even number."

Dean sucked in a breath in an attempt to calm himself down. "Alright but Sam, since you are a girl, you get Meg or Lilith."

Sam frowned. He could tell that Dean was currently attempting to ward off his fear with cheap jokes. He hoped that he could actually help out without getting in Dean's way.

"Okay then. Line up. One person per…well, per person. I want Alistair." He looked back at his friends. "You guys can pick your poison."

Castiel lined up in front of Uriel as Mulder and Krychek paired up. Don was glaring fiercely at Colby and Sam and Gabriel were matched up to the girls. Alistair made the first move before anyone could.

"Impedimenta!"

Dean ducked behind a desk and the spell missed. Everyone took this for an opening signal and began to fight their opponent. Sam soon found out that being paired up with a girl didn't necessarily give him an advantage. Lilith was ruthless and he was bruised within the first minutes of the fight. Sam barley deflected what she was throwing at him and hardly had time to even attack her back.

"Protego!" A silvery shield formed around Castiel as he advanced toward Uriel. "Expelliarmus!" Uriel's wand flew into Castiel's hand. He preferred using defensive magic as his offense. That way he was protected and he could still slow down his opponent. Don and Colby had dropped their wands on the floor and were simply attempting to punch each other's lights out.

"Sectumsempra!" A new voice rang out in the room as Mulder hit the ground. Everyone turned to see Azazel in the room. He took a step over Mulder whose body was now covered in harsh lacerations and bleeding on the ground. "Hello Dean. Sam. Good to see you boys looking so grown up even without a mommy." He locked his yellow eyes with Dean and smiled.

Dean's eyes grew wide with fury. "Fuck you! I'm going to kill your sorry ass, just watch me!"

Azazel smiled at him. "Do you really want to do that? I'm sure I could help out your poor little friend before he bleeds out."

"You did that to him you evil son of a bitch!"

"Well, you got me there. I did, but I can also reverse it."

"Why would you do that if you tried to freaking ice him?"

"You have been very helpful to our cause. Taking such good care of that pretty little angel." Yellow eyes locked with startled blue. A few other demons came into the room smiling.

The Gryffindors gathered together in a tight circle where everybody seemed to be touching someone else. Don had pulled Mulder into the circle and was looking murderous. Dean leaned against a dusty shelf where he saw his amulet. "How the hell did that get here?" Dean grasped the amulet and light blinded everyone in the room. When the demons and Slytherins opened their eyes, all of the Gryffindors had completely vanished.

"Idiots! Where did you send them with that portkey? The angel is gone too, I image Lucifer will not be too kind upon your return. Get out of here! I will find him myself." The demons fled the room before Azazel could punish them himself.

An hour later a yellow eyed wolf stepped out of the castle. He raised his nose and howled as he caught a scent in the air. The angel was far away but he was swift and did not tire easily. The wolf's large dark body began crashing through trees at an unnatural pace toward the group of misplaced children.


	9. The Swamps of Sadness

**Hey everyone! Thank you for the reviews (****Underworld's-Reject**** and ****deathnoteno1fan-codegeasslover****)! Every time I get a review it inspires me to write the next chapter, that's the gospel truth! Glad you think that Dean/ Cas are cute, they have to be the sweetest pairing in the world :D Haha I will consider keeping your favorites alive, but JK Rowling did have a theme of killing off lovables… I'm now glad I didn't write this story just for my greedy self! Oh this chapter has a few details from the **_**Never Ending Story**_**. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

"The Swamps of Sadness"

Castiel awoke in a pile of thankfully alive people. His head hurt and still felt a little hazy. He truly could not tell where they were. It looked like an overgrown forest, were they in the Forbidden Forest? Old path's led in various directions and he had no idea if they had come here from following one of them. Other boys began to stir. Sam was waking Gabriel up as Castiel remembered what happened: a fight and then a piercing flash of light. He was relieved to see Dean sit up and stretch as he slowly made his way towards him.

"Dean!" Castiel hugged him and reveled in the warm heat his body gave off. The woods were cold and his hoodie and jeans hardly left him any comfort. Dean hugged Castiel close to his chest and planted a fond kiss on his forehead before checking to ensure that everyone was alright. Sam was helping Gabriel stand up and checking him over for injuries. Gabriel looked smug as Sam unknowingly felt up his arm and kissed him on the cheek.

"All the goods are in order Sammy. If you want to check out the full package," he winked "Then I would suggest that we try and find someplace warmer." Sam looked awkward and a blush rose in his cheeks.

Dean knelt by Don who was cradling Mulder's head in his lap. "Is he…alive?" His body was covered in jagged gashes and he was alarmingly pale from the blood loss.

Don nodded and forced back the tears in his dark brown eyes. He glanced up at Dean. "At least for now. I know that we don't know where we are, but we have got to get somewhere safer. He's not going to last in the cold."

"And rain." Gabriel added helpfully as rain began to sprinkle their faces.

"Damn it!" Dean shouted at the sky and paced a bit. He then noticed his amulet glowing softly in the night air. He took it out and paced in one direction, somehow causing the light to dim.

Castiel glanced at it curiously. "Try another path."

Dean nodded and tried another. Still no luck. The second to last worn path made the amulet blaze gold. "I believe we found our path."

Sam just looked at him. "Seriously? Dean, are we really going to be traveling based on what your necklace says?"

"Sammy, I got this thing from dad. He said it was special, so I believe that it is. We are going to use it to choose a path since I don't see any other choice. We know that there is no shelter right here, so why don't we get moving?"

"How are we going to go anywhere with Mulder like that? We aren't. Move over. Episkey!" Sam waived his wand and the oozing cuts began to close over, stopping the severe hemorrhaging. His chest was now falling into a more rhythmic pattern and his eyelids fluttered open before closing again.

Dean looked proud and grateful at Sam. "Never give you enough credit for it, but damn you are smart!"

"Glad I tagged along?"

"No! We are in the middle of a forest in who knows where and if you die, dad will kill me and bring me back to life just so he can kill me again!" He held out his hand and helped Sam from the ground. "But since you're here you'd better bring out more of that magic."

Sam smiled at him, proud to actually be useful to his older brother as Gabriel punched him in the shoulder. "So Dean, which way to the yellow brick road?"

Dean held up the amulet and pointed. "This one."

Don and Castiel each supported a side of Mulder and helped him stand up. Mulder's eyes opened and he whimpered as he took his first step and leaned heavily on the other two. Dean bit his lip as he watched their slow progression. This was going to be a long trip and with the rain coming down harder he knew they needed to get somewhere quick. He sighed and led the group on towards the path, hoping that they were on the right trail. For about an hour they walked in silence, even the mouthy Gabriel keeping his mouth shut when he traded Castiel and helped Mulder stumble along.

"Hey Cas, you cold?" Castiel nodded and looked surprised when Dean trapped him in his slightly too big jacket. He smiled gratefully and hugged himself. Dean gave him a big goofy smile. "Cas, you are way too cute." Castiel blushed and grasped Dean's hand shyly.

"Aren't you cold Dean? I would assume from you not being acclimated to such weather you would be affected by it."

Dean scoffed, "Nah, no worries Cas. I'm fine. Got plenty of muscle to keep me warm." He flexed impressively at Castiel with a grin as Castiel actually giggled and clung on his arm. Dean gave him a rough peck on the cheek and continued onwards until he heard someone clear their throat. Dean turned a dark shade of red when he realized that since he had been leading the group, everyone had just seen his chick flick moment with Castiel. Gabriel wolf whistled and Sam looked like he was about to be violently ill. Dean muttered 'son of a bitch' and kept walking as he waited for his pride to return. He shivered in the night air but didn't regret giving up his jacket to Castiel who he seemed to view as delicate and in need of his protection.

The group walked into a section of forest that was entirely dark. Every able bodied wizard-to-be whipped out his wand muttering a quick 'lumos.' Castiel stepped forward and frowned when his sneaker sunk into a nasty thick glop of mud. He took a larger step and was horrified to find that this wasn't a muddle puddle but a swamp of the nasty stuff.

"Dean, be careful." He narrowed his eyes in attempts to see a plausible way around the swamps and saw nothing but an endless stretch of muck. "Is your amulet telling us to go this way?"

Dean frowned and held his amulet up. "Yup. Shit this is not gonna be fun." He turned behind him. "Watch out guys, there's a swamp ahead." Mulder opened his mouth to weakly complain but Dean talked over him. "Yes it's the only way." Dean was worried now. How the hell were they going to get Mulder through a swamp? There was a light rain already causing him to shiver uncontrollably and the swamp was a cold wet death trap for the sick teenager. Don hoisted Mulder on to his pack piggy back style looking determined. Dean hoped it would be a small swamp that they could cross over quickly. Don was strong and Mulder thin but the lanky boy would soon tire out Don if they trekked too far. He knew that letting Mulder fight his way through it could very likely led to a funeral on their return. He bit back his stressful thoughts and smiled at the boys behind him. "Ready to get dirty?"

What the boys did not know that this was not simply a stinky mud puddle like the goo lagoon on _Spongebob_. It was a long expanse of deep mud and was very old. It was known as 'the swamps of sadness." Many before had been trapped and left to die in a watery grave, no matter how brave they were. Everyone has a secret about their past that twists a dark knife through their heart and into their soul. There was something about the swamps of sadness that drew out these secrets and tortured the mind. At first it would seem like the wanderer was plagued by gloomy thoughts since they were wet and tired and the swamps seemed to be continuous for miles. The thoughts would deepen and the need to sink into the muck would become unbearable. To bury one's misdeeds under mud where they would not be found. The wanderer would sink under the dark depths and be lost to the world forever.

The group tramping through the swamps was very young but had all had seen too much. Sam and Dean had lost a mother in a violent way. They were left to care for themselves too long and to guard the world from nameless horrors from an early age. Nothing Dean ever did seemed to be enough in his father's eyes and Sam had spent his few years attempting to leave behind a life he didn't want. Mulder was tied down with the guilt of losing his sister to what he believed was an alien abduction. His family was torn apart and he had still to see a Crumpled Horned Snorkack. Don found himself in a situation similar to Dean's where he was forced to take care of a younger, seemingly more talented brother who had all of the family's love. Gabriel and Cas were subjected to an absent father and the fury he took out on them in the forms of physical and emotional violence. When it came to getting through the swamps of sadness, it seemed that they were all screwed.

"How much farther Dean?" Sam looked pleading at his older brother. He had fallen into the muck and was now cold and miserable. He searched his brother's face for comfort. Dean faltered and was rescued when Cas made his way over to them.

Castiel smiled encouragingly at Sam. "Don't worry Sam. I will see if I can check things out. He handed Dean back his coat and gave Sam his hoodie.

"Cas, what are you doing?"

"Checking out the terrain. We must know if we are close to dry land." He glanced worriedly over at Mulder who was clinging feverishly to the front of Don's jacket. No one could support carrying him through the mud any longer and every step was a small victory for him. Castiel watched Don wipe some mud off of Mulder's pale face and help him sit down on a semi-dry stump. Castiel closed his eyes and his wings reappeared. Dean reached over and gently ran his hand through the soft feathers as they let off a faint glow and smiled as he saw a relaxed smile cover Castiel's face from his touch alone.

"Be careful Cas, we don't know where we are, and who knows what could be flying around in the sky after you. Just-be careful." Dean gripped his shoulder for a few seconds before stepping back to let Castiel take off into the air. It amazed him how light and graceful he moved and he knew that Cas had been practicing. Since his wings had grown Castiel had been sneaking out of their dormitory window to test the air and Dean figured he had never seen anything so beautiful. Sure, sometimes he felt like a creep and knew he was intruding on something private and sacred to Castile, but he couldn't help it. The man, or angel, was breathtakingly beautiful and Dean could never keep him out of his mind. His heart clenched in his chest when he found that he could no longer see Castiel above the tree tops. There was no way he could lose him now, he knew that.

Wind whipped past Castiel and he felt the first rush of pleasure he had felt for hours. The night air felt clean and whistled through ruffled feathers as he looked over the forest. He was disappointed to find still more of the ugly swamp in front of them. He flew a bit higher but the rain pelted him now and the night had seemed to swallow the entire forest. Castiel slowly landed next to Dean with a soft rustling of wings. Dean smiled and ruffled a hand through his dark windswept hair.

"See anything Cas?"

Castiel looked down at his dirty sneakers. "No. I am sorry Dean, but it is still too dark to see much. I will have to go up again in the morning. I did glean that the swamp is still continuing for a few miles at least. We must keep going if we are to keep Mulder alive."

Dean nodded. "Don't worry Cas. It's not your fault." He gave him a one-armed hug and informed the group in as cheerful a manner as he could. Castiel shook his head as he trailed after him. Dean was amazing in every possible way and he trusted that he would do everything he possibly could to save them.

Mulder dragged his tired body through the muck as he clung to Don. He was struggling to keep conscious but his fever was raging and the wounds on his body were becoming inflamed. His foggy brain had noticed the worried glances his friends had snuck at him and he knew that they assumed the worst. He did too. Fox William Mulder was currently looking death in the eye and on pure stubbornness alone, he was not going to die without a fight. The heat from Don's body was not enough and he shivered at every breeze but he felt somewhat comforted as they tramped through the mud at the same pace. Then he felt it. A darkness he could not escape. He dreamed with eyes open of the night his sister was taken and how he did absolutely nothing to stop it. He had been frozen. Trapped in a too bright light and shackled to his own fear. Guilt pounded through his veins along with burning blood and he began to sink into the mud. Each step and Mulder found that the darkness was climbing up his legs. His body told him not to fight it and tried to dull his mind with cold and pain. ..

Dean felt it too. He could laugh off anything, but the heart could not lie to the swamps. Thick poisonous mud seemed to slug into Dean's mind and his will drowned in it. He could feel his legs weakening and battled with himself to keep going for his friends, his brother…Cas. He couldn't leave them that easily. Dean marched forward with an air of importance that he did not feel as the mud chocked his mind.

The mud was treacherous, but it was a slow, silent worker. The boys had much to fear from its evil whisperings but they did not know about the monster that was swiftly following their trail on four legs. Azazel's eyes glowed yellow in the night as he traveled through the muck with ease. He had always been an evil creature and did not feel the pang of loss that tormented caring souls in the swamps of sadness. Immune to the caressing whisper of the mud he followed the pure scent of the angel. He was close now and could feel the need to tear through that pure flesh with his sharp teeth coursing through his currently wolfish body. He howled with delight and shivered in anticipation before bounding off after the trail.

"Mulder God Damn it! Stay with me!" Don gripped Mulder tightly as he tried to frantically drag him through the mud. He then noticed that Mulder was slowly but surely sinking into the mud and he went into full blown panic mode. "Come on Mulder, don't do this to me. Don't you dare do this to me. Fuck you! You are stronger than this. Mulder!"

Mulder raised his head and looked at Don weakly as he struggled to maintain eye contact. "I-I can't," Mulder choked out. His grief-stricken face was covered in tears and he was losing his grip on Don.

"Fuck you, yes you can. Mulder-why are you sinking? Tell me!" Don screamed as he clung to Mulder in desperation. "What is more important than your life? Stay with me…please?" Don and Mulder locked eyes. Mulder was startled to see tears running down Don's face as he used all the strength in his body to keep Mulder alive.

"S-Samantha!" Mulder cried out and sunk a few inches in mere seconds. "I lost my sister, and she's dead, she's dead…I know it. I deserve to die." He looked into Don's eyes pleading and whispered "Let me go Don. Please."

Don stared at him quietly for a second before regaining his resolve. "No. You are going to stay alive and get the hell out of this mud. What happened to Samantha is not your fault." He put his forehead against Mulder's. You sink…and I am going with you."

Mulder gasped in shock as he felt Don's mouth crash over his possessively. He felt warmth course through his body and the mud's grip lessen as he melted in Don's arms. Don was able to pull Mulder back to his full height as they deepened their kiss and their legs tangled in the mud. Mulder pulled away to smile into his eyes. Don smiled at him relieved. "Try this again and I am pushing your head under the mud." Mulder laid his head against Don's shoulder as only physical pain thrummed through his body and they forced a path through the mud only to stare face to face with the yellow eyes of Azazel.

"Dean? I thought you were taller than me? Castiel looked curiously at Dean who could now stare him in the eye. "Are you-are you sinking?" Castiel looked in shock when he saw Dean's vacant stare. A battle was going on in Dean's head and the real Dean was losing.

"C-cas!" He gripped Castiel tightly as he tried to fight off the swamp's effect. Castiel looked around frantically and didn't see any of the others within his view.

Dean sat across a table from his self listening to the abuse spewing from the demon version's mouth. He knew he wasn't what he hoped others viewed him as. He knew that he was daddy's little soldier and not daddy's little boy. He lost his mother and tried to overtake the evil of the world that could not be stopped by one man alone. Dean felt cold mud squelch over his head as the weight of the world crashed down on his chest. Darkness surrounded him and he could hear the mud whispering in his own voice and the disappointed tone of his father. He was slowly being swallowed by the earth until-light. Light crashed through the darkness and awoke all of Dean's dull senses. A burning hand gripped his shoulder tight as a bubble of air formed around Dean and the hot white light. He gasped as pain and pleasure coursed through his shoulder and into the rest of his body. A voice repeated his name over and over in a gruff manner as Dean fought off a sickly lethargy. The light was gone and replaced with a natural darkness. His eyes flew open and he coughed up mud onto…dry ground? He gasped for air and found himself gazing into the intense blue stare of Castiel. His shoulder burned like a son of a bitch but he could breath and was no longer drowning in filth.

"Cas? Was that light you? How-how did you get me out of there?" Dean brought Castiel's face to his and shivered at the fire in them.

"I gripped you tight and raised you from perdition. You were sinking fast and I found you…I almost didn't. I was angry and scared and so I dove in after you when you were sinking. ..I don't really know how I got you out of their without sinking myself?"

"It's because you are an angel Cas. In every sense of the word." Dean leaned in and began devouring Castiel's mouth in a passionate kiss. He pulled Castiel into his chest and let his tongue roam over Castiel's. "I love you Cas."

Castiel gasped and searched Dean's face in disbelief and tilted his head curiously. "Is this a Dean joke? I don't find it funny." He turned from Dean as his wings drooped on the ground.

Dean crawled over to Castiel and took his head in his hands. He let a thumb travel over the soft skin of Castiel's cheek bone before he captured his mouth again. "No Cas, this is not a 'Dean joke'. I love you. Once we get this crap off of us and aren't teasing death, I am going to make love to you so hard that you are going to know that it is the truth."

Castiel felt his face flush as he clung to Dean and planted frantic kisses all over his neck. He smiled against Dean's chest and whispered "Looking forward to it. I love you too." He laughed as he felt Dean laughing under him. He wrapped his wings and body around Dean as they fell asleep. This was how muddy and crabby Sam and Gabriel found them. They nuzzled close by and waited for the sun to rise; hopeful that the morning would led them back to the safety of Hogwarts.


	10. Why So Sirius?

**Hey guys! Thank** **you for the lovely reviews and here is the next chapter, enjoy!**

**..Yet****- Glad someone loves my bizarre cocktail of shows/ Harry Potter lol! Wasn't sure how many people knew Numb3rs in the Supernatural committee :O It's one of me and my sister's fav shows ever.**

**Underworld's-Reject****- My loyal reviewer! I am always excited to get your reviews, I seriously make myself get back to work on the story after I read them so I am glad you have been on this adventure since the beginning!**

"Why So Sirius?"

Castiel awoke sore but comforted by the warmth of Dean Winchester. He stretched and sat up rubbing his eyes sleepily. Although he didn't feel well rested the sleep had been refreshing and he was ready to escape this evil forest. He smiled in relief when he saw Gabriel cradling Sam in his arms in his sleep. It seemed that they had resolved their love issues in the swamp too. Maybe the evil thing was a blessing in disguise, if you could survive it. Cas frowned when he realized that Don and Mulder were nowhere to be found. He paced the edge of the swamp and gazed over it. He took off into the air in search of his missing friends. The sky was cold and clear in the morning light. The warmth of the sun made Castiel spread out his wings fully to catch every possible ray. Flying was like kissing Dean: he could never get enough of either. He trailed above the swamp and searched for a glimpse of Mulder or Don. He felt sick with worry that the mud had swallowed them both, possibly when he was happily curled up to Dean's chest they were drowning in mud as it ripped their souls apart. He flew lower and noticed a sneaker stuck in between a sunken tree branch and the bank. He landed and lifted it up as his heart sank. The sneaker had been careful doodled on by Mulder since the beginning of the year. He had his friends sign the bottom of it and Castiel traced his finger over his own name. The top had cartoons of Crumple Horned Snorkaks, Bowtruckles, and Nargles. "I want to believe" curved around the bottom ridge in Mulder's untidy scrawl. Castiel held it to his chest as he looked for any sign that his friends were still alive. He took flight again but this time he did not enjoy it. His heart wouldn't let him.

Dean was relieved to see Castiel return. He had woken up Sam and Gabriel with his shouting and was now bitching out Castiel.

Castiel looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "I apologize Dean." He held out the shoe to Dean who looked it over. "I am afraid we lost them. I do not know how to find them again." He felt Dean's arms around him as he sobbed into his shoulder. Castiel was surprised to feel the tremors through Dean's body also. Dean Winchester was crying too.

Sam clung to Gabriel as he looked towards the swamp. He had always wanted to tag along with Dean when their dad gave him hunting lessons. He wanted to be just like Dean who protected him while their father was away. Now he knew that he wasn't cut out for these things. Adventures were scary and tiring and they could not find some of their friends. He felt hollow inside and wished to wake up in his warm bed in the dormitory safe and unafraid. He wanted to flirt with Gabriel in the hallways and tag along after Dean's friends. Now he was living in a nightmare with no foreseeable end. The boys gazed out over the swamp before they turned their backs on it and walked away with heavy hearts.

"Dean? I'm tired. How much farther? I'm sorry, but I think I need to pee. Can we take a break?"

Dean eyed Sam wearily and then gave him his best impersonation of a smile. "Sure kiddo. Try and rest a bit guys if you can." Dean sat on a boulder with his back to the others as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt like he was abandoning his friends in the swamp, but even though he didn't want to admit it, he knew that he had to keep the others going forward. He pushed away his fears and faked smiles as he attempted to lead his friends back to the castle.

"I am going to check the path again. I will return shortly." Castiel squeezed Dean's hand and launched himself into the air. He quickly surveyed the area for markers and bit back the urge to give the swamp a glance over. Castiel flew for a couple of miles and then noticed a smallish green tent and fire in a clearing. He landed and looked over the campsite curiously. The fire was roaring with a kettle whistling over it full of something that smelled absolutely wonderful. He held back the urge to stretch his cold fingers towards the warmth and took a breath before poking his head into the tent. He felt it was rather rude, but there really was no way to knock and who ever heard of tents with doorbells? Castiel gasped in surprise when he felt something soft and furry brush past him. A large, black Labrador sat on its haunches, almost seemed to be grinning at him. Castiel tilted his head curiously and reached out a hand for the dog to observe he was surprised to feel a paw in his hand that transformed into human form in seconds. The man in front of him was looked to be in his thirties. He had dark black hair and a charming smile. Castiel figured he was quite handsome and smiled as he shook his hand. He normally wasn't this friendly with strangers but he somehow found himself trusting this man.

"Hello there. You must be the angel, Castiel?" Castiel stepped back in alarm and the man chuckled. "No need to worry, I'm on your side. I was hoping that Moony had told you about me but was probably too busy bragging about himself. I'm Sirius Black and I am here to help you. Please sit down, for an angel you sure look like hell." He led Castiel to a chair. Castiel was shocked to see how the tent looked normal sized on the outside and had actual separated rooms on the inside. How was that even possible? Sirius poured him some tea and smiled at him. "Like the tent? Got it for going to Quidditch cups but got stuck using it to run from the law instead. Quite useful."

Castiel looked into his cup and then sat it on the table. "I'm sorry, but I cannot simply sit down to tea right now. My friends are still in the swamp and they are waiting for me."

"Wait a sec dude! I know about it. Remus sent me an owl. You and your buddies have been tramping around this forest for three days after you disappeared from the castle and he has been worried sick about you. I have been looking for you ever since and here you are! Collect your friends, I am making soup!" He brandished a soup spoon at him gleefully. Castiel frowned. He wondered if you had to be barking mad to be a wizard. Castiel eagerly took off and after flying back a couple of miles, landed gleefully into Dean's arms. Dean looked surprised but planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Any news Cas?"

"Yes Dean! I have found us shelter. I have met Sirius Black, and I believe he is trustworthy. We may survive this ordeal yet." Castiel looked solemnly at him.

"That's great news Cas! Dean lifted a surprised Castiel off of the ground and spun him around laughing. Sam looked up and cheered as he hugged Gabriel. They followed the path Castiel led them on until they were stopped by a slow growl. Castiel froze in front of Dean as a large wolf made his way along the path towards them. Castiel felt sickened when he saw that his jowls were reddened by blood and foam, it looked as if he had killed recently. He heard Dean mutter "son of a bitch" and looked more closely at the wolf, horrified to see the unnatural golden glow of his eyes.

Dean stepped forward. "Azazel? That better not be you in there you sick bastard!"

Azazel slid a long pale tongue over his mouth as he locked eyes with Dean. "Hello there Dean. Nice stroll through the woods, eh? Too bad you little boys decided to stray from the path, picking flowers for granny?"

Dean fumed. "What are you doing here? If you are here for a fight, I'm gonna kick your ass. Might want to get a head start on running away."

Azazel chuckled and slobbered over his sharp teeth. "Glad to see you too are much more lively then the boys you left in the swamp. You will make much better game."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean glared at him furiously.

"Oh, I'm sure you know them. Fox Mulder and Don Eppes. Met them myself at our little skirmish in Hogwarts castle. Very pretty boys with a lot of kick to them. I was delighted to run into them again at the edge of the swamp. Did they wander away or did you simply forget about them? Little lost boys do not do well in dark forests." His eyes gleamed bright. "Especially when there are wolves about." He cackled as the boys looked at each other in confusion and horror.

"You're lying you evil son of a bitch!"

"Am I? I don't see your lovely companions anywhere around you. I have a lovely story for you… why don't you listen in instead of shouting everywhere hmmm? Now be a good boy and keep your trap shut. Since you made your escape out of the castle, I have been hunting you and through all that stinking mud your scent remained fresh. The swamps nearly swallowed you, and I'm almost glad they didn't, for now we can have our fun." His teeth gleamed in the faint light as he smiled at the boys. "Once you lost your little friends they found their way to the bank. Tired and injured they stayed there. I found them tangled up under a tree, beautiful bodies entwined with the sounds of their lovemaking in the air. Even I couldn't kill them right away and I watched them for awhile and every sweet gasp was music to my ears. When they were sleeping I was no longer satisfied with being an audience member, but your friends have sharp ears for humans and it was amusing to watch them search for wands that must have been lost to the swamp. Humans are curious creatures and I was surprised when Eppes stood in front of Mulder. Poor sweet thing was still hurting from my little spell in the castle… I really did some nice work with those cuts. I could no longer contain myself and I lunged into Eppes and took my first bite into his flesh. I wish you could have heard the sound he made as my teeth grazed his ribs or gotten a taste of his hot blood." The wolf's smile widened at the identical looks of horror on his audience's faces. "I wish I had more time to stay and eat them up like a good wolf, but I had more pressing business." He locked eyes with Castiel who looked away in disgust. "I figured that death was already after the injured Fox, so I left them bleeding on the bank. If I make quick work with you, then maybe my dinner won't be wasted after all."

"…You-you sick son of a bitch!" Dean's eyes were blazing in fury as he raised his wand. The wolf's pupils dilated and he snarled as he charged at Dean, latching onto his shoulder. Gabriel and Sam frantically searched their pockets for their wands as Castiel stepped forward with eyes blazing. In seconds he was pulling the wolf off of Dean and throwing him into a tree. Azazel's eyes narrowed and his bitten tongue left drops of blood on the ground as he leapt at the angel. Castiel stretched his hand out and the demon was ripped from the wolf's body. A thick cloud of black smoke trailed up into the air as the wolf fell limp to the ground. Castiel stepped over the dead body of the wolf and tore off a piece of cloth from the bottom of Sam's cloak. Sam watched him silently, not wanting to question him after his last display. Castiel looked over Dean's shoulder and bound it up with the cloak shred. He glanced at the others.

"It is getting late, we must head on." The boys started off again silently each gripped with the horror of what Azazel had told them. Could they have really left their friends to such pain and torment? An hour later Sam's sobs racked the forest as Gabriel led him along. Castiel silently took Dean's hand as they walked. He knew that the same guilt was eating up Dean and was relieved that the swamps were behind them for he also knew that after tonight they would not survive them again.

The boys eventually made it to Sirius's camp and stood wearily by the fire as Castiel announced them to Sirius who smiled eagerly at the company until he saw all the haunted eyes looking back at him. He led the boys in and sat them down at a table surrounded by mismatched chairs. He poured tea into chipped cups for everyone and after glancing at their faces he added a generous dash of fire whisky to each cup.

"Everybody ok? What's with the sour faces, it is raining and tonight you won't be sleeping in it!" Sirius was greeted with a series of glares. He grumbled to himself and poured another round of fire whisky into the tea. He figured that his stores would be depleted before morning.

A figure strode into the room and embraced Sirius. Castiel was delighted to see Remus Lupin had joined them, finding his presence comforting.

"Just in time Remus. You always know when to stop by, soup's almost done!" Sirius smacked their professor's butt with the spoon (much to the boys' horror) and waltzed out of the tent. He returned with a steaming cauldron of pumpkin soup that he helpfully ladled into bowls and passed around. Dean sniffed his distastefully but took a worried bite. He hadn't eaten in days and wasn't about to be picky. Soon he had eaten through three bowls and plowed through half of Castiel's, attempting to distract his mind with one of his greatest loves of all time: food.

Remus eyed them worriedly. "Where are Mulder and Don? They went missing when you did so I assumed that they would be with you."

Castiel stared at his bowl, not hungry. "We lost them."

"What? Lost them? Did you get separated?"

"Yes. In the swamps we thought they sank until we ran into Azazel."

Lupin eyed him curiously. "The demon?"

Castiel looked surprised and nodded. "He told us that he…attacked them and left them to die on the bank." His eyes filled with tears and he felt Dean's arms around him.

Sam tucked his hair behind his ears and peeked up at Lupin. "The demon was actually a wolf and he tried to kill Dean until Castiel did a cool magic trick that made smoke come out of its mouth."

Lupin laughed bitterly. "You cannot simply kill a demon in that fashion." He glanced at Castiel. "But it is interesting that you were able to tear him from his vessel in such a way. Now, remember that demons are deceitful and one clothed as a wolf may be even more treacherous. Did he tell you that he killed your friends?"

Dean glared at him. "Well he took a chunk out of Don and Mulder was already near death when we left him behind."

Sirius played with his spoon during the next awkward ten minutes before standing up. "If you kiddos are done, we have showers here at chez Black, help yourself. And please attend to them soon, you stink like all sorts of ass." He pointed out the bathroom and shooed them away with a ladle before putting an arm around Lupin's shoulder smiling. "Nice kids."

Lupin shook his head before kissing the man. "Now how about you try and find the other boys. I can keep an eye on these ones." Sirius instantly transformed into a dog and barked eagerly before bounding out of the tent leaving behind Lupin who simply rolled his eyes and attended to the dishes.


	11. The Devil's Road

**Hey all!****Underworld's-Reject**** and ****HaventMetMyAngelYet**** get good noodle stars, thank you guys for the support, this story is for you! Another dark chapter, but I promise lighter ones in the future, don't worry I don't want to depress you all lol and I find darkness is deeper when it snuggles up with lighter details. Thanks for keeping up with the boys, and following this story, you rock!**

"The Devil's Road"

The two boys would fit into a peaceful picture if they weren't covered in each other's blood. Curled up against each other's bodies it was obvious that even during the horrors they had been through they had stuck together. Sirius took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he made his way over the overgrown grass to the two boys. He reached over to touch Mulder's arm when the boy's eyes flew open. He was shaking and Sirius wished for his sake that he hadn't been conscious for long. Angry red gashes peeked out of his shredded clothes and they looked swollen and infected. His fevered eyes locked with Sirius.

"Holy shit kid. We gotta get you out of here. Damn it you do not look good."

Mulder gave him weak smile. "Then I'm glad it's not school picture day." He closed his eyes as pain rippled though his body. He was having trouble thinking and wasn't entirely confident that he even knew where he was. All he could think of was-shit where was Don? Mulder tried to sit up as Sirius held him down gently.

"Calm down. I will check on your friend so just sit, or lay tight." Mulder nodded and closed his eyes as he remembered what happened. He had been too weak to move when the wolf came upon them. He remembered the blissful feeling of being cuddled to Don's chest and his kisses taking the edge off of his pain. But then he remembered Don quickly pulling away from him as he protected Mulder with his body. He heard the sounds of flesh tearing and a spatter of fresh blood sprinkled his face. The hardest part to recollect was the cry of agony that ripped from Don's throat as his body was assaulted by sharp, unrelenting teeth. Mulder shivered and trailed a shaking hand over Don's face. He was horrified by how cold his skin was. Mulder tried to roll over to get a good look at him and saw brown eyes staring blankly up at the sky. Terror gripped him as his eyes ran over Don's pale face down to the rip in his side. Blood pooled next to him and his body was completely still. Mulder let out a sob as he stared into Don's lifeless eyes and buried his face into his stilled chest.

Sirius looked away. As a hunter he was no stranger to death. A hard life of constant travel and bloodshed had hardened his normally boyish attitude but seeing a kid like this broke his heart. He leaned over and closed Don's eyes tiredly. He felt the warmth leaving Don and Sirius was horrified to find that he must have died within the hour, in pain for many more. The boy had suffered greatly to protect his friend and didn't deserve to be left like this. He scooped up Mulder carefully and looked down at Don.

"I will be back for you, I promise."

Castiel stood under the warmth of the shower, allowing it to wash away days of filth. He closed his eyes. Dean watched Castiel, loving the peaceful smile he made as he tilted his face towards the water. He figured he probably shouldn't be spying on him, but he couldn't help himself. Cas was beautiful. Large, innocent eyes decorated his flawless pale face. His lips were so soft and pink that Dean would be happy simply kissing him all day. He smiled to himself knowing that if anyone could see inside his head they would never let him complain about a chick flick moment again. His eyes traveled over Castiel's bare body until Castiel blinked his eyes at Dean and smiled at him shyly.

"You know, you aren't the best at spying."

Dean grinned at him. "So you were letting me spy on you?" Castiel pulled Dean into the shower with him and kissed him softly. Dean held him in his arms as his clothes got soaked as Castiel griped the front of his jacket.

Castiel snuggled against him as water ran over them and puddle at their feet. "You feel good Dean. Safe… and I like that. I haven't really felt safe in days."

"Truth is Cas, neither did I. Crazy shit lives in these woods and I don't want to see any more of it."

"Me either." They stood holding each other in silence for a few minutes.

"Dean?"

"Yeah Cas baby?"

"I love you."

"I love you too Cas. All this stuff going on has me thinking."

"Really? You, thinking?" Castiel laughed as Dean growled and pushed him against the wall.

"Yeah, of course I do. I think lots of things that I'm sure you'd loooooove to hear about. Like kissing you or spying on you in the shower. Thing is, it seems to all come true. I have some very interesting thoughts about you Cas that hopefully will happen soon and trapping you naked in the shower is the most innocent of the bunch."

Castiel laughed and kissed Dean before leaning in towards his ear and whispering "Just wait until you find out what I have been thinking about."

Dean kissed Castiel roughly before peeling off his soaked t-shirt. Castiel struggled with the slippery button and zipper as Dean drowned him with kisses. He helped his out of his jeans and looked impressed as Dean stood in front of him. Dean crushed their lips together again before sliding a leg between Castiel's. He gasped in surprise at the feel of Dean's leg against his aroused body. Castiel pulled him in for a frantic kiss and nearly lost it when he felt Dean pressing into him urgently. He was already painfully hard and the feel of Dean drove him crazy. They rubbed against each other and the startling friction made them both cry out at the same time. Dean pushed Castiel against the wall as pulled his leg up around him. Castiel bit onto Dean's shoulder as they found the perfect rhythm. He cried out Dean's name each time their slick arousals met. He threw his head back against the wall an arched his back as Dean attacked his throat with his mouth. Then their eyes met and both felt electricity jolt through their bodies as they gazed at each other and recognized the love in the other's eyes. Castiel whimpered and came first, clinging to Dean and causing him to also lose it. Dean whispered Castiel's name tenderly as the slowly sank down onto the shower floor in each other's arms.

"God Cas, love you so much." Castiel smiled tenderly at him and clung onto his strong shoulders. His hand trailed lightly over the hand print on Dean's shoulder. Proof that Dean was his, that he had sank into the swamps, into certain death to chase the man he loved. Proof that they were stronger than despair and made it out alive. Castiel knew that as long as he had Dean, he would remain unafraid.

Sam knocked on the door before entering with a reddened face. He looked at the floor the entire time as Dean and Castiel reached for towels, embarrassed that Sam had known what they were up to before even entering the room.

"Spit it out Sammy."

"Not until you're descent. I already nearly lost my dinner just listening to you two." He scowled at them and folded his arms defiantly.

"Bitch." Dean finally pulled a clean shirt over his head, a little big as it was Sirius's and glared at Sam.

"Jerk. Just wanted to tell you that Sirius found Mulder, and he is alive. He's been here for a while but you two were…busy." He pulled a bitch face and left the room with the door hanging open. Castiel quickly pulled on his clothes and gripped Dean's hand tightly. Mulder was alive! But Sam had said nothing about Don… Castiel's happy bubble was deflated as he gripped Dean's hand tightly and they made their way out of the bathroom.

Castiel hurried over to the bed where Mulder was sleeping. Castiel ran a hand through his untidy hair and smiled when Mulder opened his eyes.

"Hey."

"Hey. Long time no see." Mulder winced and sat up as Dean pulled him into a passionate man-hug. "Good to see you hanging in there buddy."

Mulder smiled. "Can't get rid of me that easy." Then he looked around frowning. "Don? Where is he? He's hurt real bad. He was so cold."

Castiel looked at Lupin curiously as the older man blanched and looked down at his hands. He looked stricken at the others. "Sirius is going back for him as we speak."

Dean glared at him. "Why the hell didn't you get him sooner? From what Azazel told us he's gonna die out there."

Lupin put a hand on his shoulder. "Dean, I am sorry but it is already too late. Don…is dead. Sirius found him and Mulder and he had already…passed on. I'm sorry…" He looked away, avoiding Mulder's frantic gaze.

Dean pushed his hand off his shoulder and stormed out of the tent.

Mulder sat there clutching the sheets looking paler as the tears ran down his face. "I-I remember now." He whispered. "His eyes…" Castiel sat down on the bed and fiercely hugged Mulder to his chest. "Oh god he's dead…he's really dead." Mulder sobbed in Castiel's arms as he tried to comfort Mulder the best he could as tears ran down his own face. Castiel held him and the two cried until they struggled to breathe.

Lupin saw Sirius in the distance and locked eyes with Castiel. He nodded towards the bathroom.

"Come on Mulder. We need to get you cleaned up before you get worse." Castiel pulled him up and helped him walk to the bathroom. Castiel let the water run in a bathtub marveling at the abilities of the tent. Who needed a house if you had one of these things? He helped Mulder undress and shuddered at the grizzly marks on his body. He bit his lip, afraid that infection was beginning to set in. He ran a wash cloth over them gently as he gazed at Mulder's face. His eyes were closed and tears were still running down his face silently. He hardly flinched as Castiel bathed the wounds, he felt too numb, as if he would never feel again. He looked up and his eyes met with Castiel's. Castiel felt his heart clench when he saw the pain in them.

"You really loved him, didn't you?"

Mulder nodded. "Yeah and I was either to dumb or blind to see it until it was too late. I know now that he loved me for years. I think I did too, after he saved me from Krychek kicking my butt in our first year at Hogwarts." He laughed bitterly. "That's how you knew Don liked you. He was always sticking up for me and listened to my ramblings. Once I got past the tough guy exterior I saw how scared he was. Afraid of failure, of loving people who didn't love him back. His parents never gave him a second thought, it was all about Charlie. Shit! What am I going to tell Charlie. 'Oh hey, how are you doing? Your brother just died saving my worthless ass twice. He fucking bled to death in my arms for hours and I didn't save him! First I lost Samantha and now Don. In the swamps I almost gave in but he saved me. He kissed me and dragged me through the mud. He took away the pain as we made love and then he got his guts ripped out while I watched. What the hell is wrong with me?"

Castiel almost couldn't look into his despair-filled eyes but braved it. "No. It is not your fault Mulder and he didn't blindly throw his life away. Too be loved that much you must be very special."

Mulder cracked a weak smile at him. "You're better than Dr. Phil. Thanks Cas. What would we all do without you?" Castiel gripped his hand tightly and smiled.

Dean clutched his bleeding hand after relentlessly pounding his fist into a tree. Don was dead on his watch. Best friends since childhood and he left him to die slowly. He finally allowed himself the luxury of tears and cried into his uninjured hand. He looked up and saw Sirius slowly making his way towards the tent. Don was cradled in his arms with his head dangling, looking small and weak. Dean swallowed and went down the path towards Sirius and walked the rest of the way back to the tent with him in silence. He felt sick. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the bloody tears in his friend's torso and the lack of color in his features. Dean opened the tent flap for Sirius and looked relieved to find Mulder wasn't in the room. He knew the two had the hots for each other for years and didn't want him to see Don like this again. Sirius set him down on a bed as Lupin came over. He shook his head as his eyes trailed over the open wounds. He got to work sewing them up as Sirius found some of his best clothes and redressed Don in them. By this time Castiel had led Mulder in and Lupin attended to him as he gazed at Don. Mulder let his fingers trail over the rough stitches with one hand as he peeked through the Winchester book of monsters. Sam lent it to him to distract him and it proved to be an interesting read. Mulder's eyes widened when he opened the page to 'The Devil's Road.'

"So, everything in this book is real right?"

Dean glanced at him. "Yup. And since I'm talking to Spooky Mulder, I know that you'll believe it."

Mulder gave him a small smile as he read the page curiously. Castiel eyed him looking worried. He knew that Mulder only bounced back this quickly when he was focused on achieving something. He figured that any normal human being would be sobbing over their lover's dead body but there was something cooking in the strange place that was Mulder's mind. It worried Castiel. He made a mental note to check out the area of the book Mulder was looking at. Love messed with people's minds, and Mulder's was already pretty messed up.

Sirius grabbed the salt and kerosene as he sighed. "Are we ready?"

"Wait! Don't burn him. Please."

Sirius stared at him. "Huh? He died a warrior's death. Braver than many hunters I have met, even at his age. He deserves the honor."

"Just don't fucking burn him, ok!" Sirius stared wide eyed at Mulder. "Sorry, I don't want to be nasty, I-I just think we should let his family have him for a proper burial. His family is Jewish, money loving and all."

Castiel frowned. He was cracking jokes? Something wasn't right. He had a bad feeling as they agreed to return to the castle in the early morning to properly bury Don. Castiel climbed into bed and smiled softly when he felt Dean's arms cradle around him. Gabriel was already snoring and drooling all over Sam in the top bunk. Castiel rolled his eyes, and hoped that Dean wouldn't kill his older brother for stealing Sam's heart. He knew that Gabriel had fallen for Sam and trusted that no harm would come to him. He fell fast asleep and didn't notice when Mulder stepped unsteadily out of bed buried a piece of paper with strange markings in the dirt at the edge of the tent.

He had made it. Mulder stood on the edge of a dusty road in the humid night of Louisiana listening to the cicadas chirping as the wind whipped his tousled hair. He pulled a picture of himself out of his wallet and tucked it into a small black box and dug a shallow hole in the middle of the road. He pushed the earth back over the box and sat there chewing his nails until a lovely woman came up to him from nowhere.

"Hmmm handsome young man. What deal could you be needing dearie, I bet it's not for the heart of a lover." She circled around him as he tensed. "If you need one just ask. I would love to just eat you up."

Mulder gazed at her steadily and didn't flinch when she slid a red tongue over his wounded cheek. "Not necessary. Bring me back Don Eppes. Now. And I will do whatever you want."


	12. Lucifer Rising

**HaventMetMyAngelYet- Sorry about cutting your name off every time haha! Thanks for the great review, sorry to make you cry but I am very touched that you did :D I was moved just writing it! Just curious, what song were you listening to?**

**Underworld's-Reject- Thanks thought it would be a fun twist!**

**Thank you reviewers yet again for following this story and keeping me posting, if it wasn't for you two I would think that it must be horrendous or keep it all to my greedy self. Oh and I apologize for the occasional typo, I hate them too, I just get excited and type everything super fast when I write this. I will clean it up eventually **

"Lucifer Rising"

Dean couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned with guilt wracking his mind. Dean quietly got out of bed and kissed Castiel on the forehead softly, not wanting to wake the sleeping angel. He pulled a hoodie over his hair and stretched before wandering outside where he could get some fresh air. He sighed and tugged on the jacket strings. It was a beautiful night and Dean was rather surprised to think so. With all the evil it contained there was something intangible and breathtakingly beautiful about the misty night. Dean rubbed his hands together for warmth when he heard a twig crack. He jumped and put his hand in his pocket, curling his fingers around his wand. Another snap and he drew out his wand. He whispered a quick 'Lumos' and watched as a figure came towards him.

"Hey Dean, gonna hex me?"

"Don? What the hell man! You're dead! Get the fuck out of here you damn shape shifter. You dare go around looking like my friend again and I will shove this wand so far up your ass-"

"Nah you would enjoy that too much."Don smiled softly at Dean. "It's really me. Don't ask how I got here, I don't know. Where's everyone else?"

"Don't get any closer you son of a bitch! Agumenti!" Dean had hybridized the spell making it spit out a jet of holy water, an invention he was extremely proud of and probably one of the only brilliant ideas his brain had ever come up with. Ever. Dean wasn't much of a thinker.

Don blinked the water out of his eyes. "Nice shot dick." He punched him in the shoulder. "Any other tests? I'm tired and need to see Mulder. I can't find him."

Dean looked at him curiously. "What do you remember?"

"I, uh, remember getting my guts ripped out and falling over Mulder. I think I was there for hours before falling asleep."

"Asleep huh?" Dean lifted up Don's shirt.

"What the hell?"

Dean traced a finger over a long scar trailing along Don's ribs. "You aren't hurt anymore. How could this happen? Don…you were dead."

"Was not." Don grinned at Dean, waiting for him to laugh too.

"No dude. Seriously. They brought your body back here and everything. Stone. Cold. Dead."

Don swallowed when he realized that Dean was completely serious. "What?" He looked stricken. "Am I dead now? Touch my arm, am I a ghost or something?"

"I did man. You are the same block head you were before. See?" Dean tackled him and gave him a noogie as Don laughed and gave him one back.

"Let's get back to the tent. Lots of people are going to be very excited to see you." He winked. "Especially Mulder."

Don's face turned red. "W-what?" His eyes narrowed. "Are you hinting at something? Cause I have this friend who has the hots for a blue eyed angel. Strange, huh?"

Dean laughed and punched him in the shoulder. "C'mon bro time to show you off."

The boys snuck into the tent quietly. Dean frowned a bit when he saw his little brother cuddled up with Gabriel. He made a mental note to talk to them later. No way in hell was Sam getting hurt for this. He sat on the bed next to the sleeping Castiel and spied as Don slowly made his way to Mulder who was curled up in a ball and staring at the wall. He was obviously oblivious to the new additions to the room. Don stared down at Mulder for a while before sitting next to him on the bed. Mulder gasped when he felt the mattress dip lightly next to him and turned over. He locked eyes with Don.

"Don? Is that really you?"

Don's eyes crinkled into a smile and he flashed a perfect grin. "Yes, Foxy, it's me."

Mulder reached over and pulled Don onto his lap as he held him to his chest. "I thought I lost you," he mumbled into Don's shoulder. Don rested his chin in Mulder's hair as they clung to each other, as if afraid to let go ever again. Suddenly Mulder sat up and pulled Don's shirt over his head. His fingers trailed over the light scars and he planted kisses over them. He slid his hands up Don's chest and gripped both sides of his face as he looked into his eyes. Brown and green eyes met as they gazed at each other refusing to blink or look away for as long as possible. "God I missed you Don. It's been a rough night."

Don ran his fingers through Mulder's hair before kissing him lightly on the mouth. "I am so sorry Fox."

Mulder's eyes flashed as he also threaded his fingers into Don's hair. "Don't be. I know that that's why you held on so long. You should have died hours before you did. Half your blood was poured out and still you stayed with me. Don, you were still protecting me?"

Don smiled softly at him. "Yeah."

"Please Don…I need you."

"No need to ask Fox, I would do anything for you."

Mulder smiled. "I know." He kissed Don passionately. "I think there is a guest room in this place, wanna break it in?"

Don laughed quietly. "I think you need to rest, you have got to be in a butt load of pain right now."

Mulder slid his hand along Don's thigh, making him close his eyes in pleasure. "Didn't stop you from taking me in the forest earlier. Now it's your turn." In one swift moment Don had lifted up Mulder and carried him out of the room.

Dean lay in bed hugging Castiel and sniffing. 'Shit that was kinda beautiful.' He rubbed the tears out of his eyes stubbornly. All this romance stuff was turning him into a girl. He leaned over Castiel and planted a kiss on his forehead. If Cas was part of the deal then bring on the PMS and pink. Castiel was his everything now. Watching Mulder and Don lose each other had planted a seed of fear in his heart. Love wasn't enough to keep him and Cas safe in this world, and now he really understood that. It was, however, enough to keep them going. To keep them fighting. And damn it he wasn't going down without doing everything to protect the sleeping angel at his side.

Castiel yawned and stretched comfortably. He was snuggled against Dean and knew that they were going to have to share a bed when they got back to their dorms. No way in hell would he be able to sleep alone after personally experiencing the comfort of snuggle time with the person he loved. He ran a hand through his mussed up hair and pulled on some clothes before wandering into the kitchen where Sirius was belting a brutal rendition of "Good Morning" from _Singing in the Rain _as he fixed plates of waffles and bacon. He smiled cheerfully at Castiel who frowned slightly as his ears were assaulted.

"Good Morning, good mooooooooring It's great to stay up laaate!"

Castiel smiled nervously before taking a seat, relieved to see Lupin there, sipping coffee and tuning Sirius out. "Good morning."

Lupin looked up from the daily prophet. "Why yes it is. A very good morning." He smiled at the confused Castiel. "It's Don, he's alive."

"W-what? How!" Castiel had a comical look of surprise on as the two older wizards smiled smugly at him.

"We actually haven't asked him. He's asleep in the guest room." He cleared his throat embarrassed as Castiel hurried towards the guest room and ran in jumping on the bed.

"'Don!" He hugged him laughing as his friend opened his eyes sleepily.

"Cas! Hey buddy." Castiel looked delighted at him and ripped the sheet from his body, examining the scar. He looked surprised to find it there instead of the bloody gash that was once there. Castiel looked happy at Don until he realized noticed the flush over his friend's features. He finally realized that he wasn't wearing anything and looked at the sleeping Mulder. Castiel's naïve brain pieced everything together and he smiled awkwardly at Don, not knowing how to react. Mulder stretched over and hugged Castiel, grinning at his discomfort.

"Wanna join the party?" He waggled his eyebrows at Castiel who looked horrified at him. Mulder laughed and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, we can invite Dean." Castiel choked. "Man something smells good. Let's get some grub!" Mulder stepped out of bed, completely unbothered about flashing poor Castiel as he pulled his clothes off the floor. Castiel used the opportunity to speed out of the room. When he came into the kitchen he saw Lupin and Sirius give him one look. To his humiliation, they both burst out laughing at him. Lupin passed him a waffle with an apologetic smile and hit the still laughing Sirius with a spatula.

"What's all the hoopla?" Dean, Sam, and Gabriel came wandering of their room looking varying levels of sleepy and crabby.

"Waffles!" Gabriel sat down and, ever the sweet tooth, poured syrup and powdered sugar all over his waffle.

"Who bought up all the coke?" Mulder came out holding hands with Don.

Dean laughed and accidently snorted up powdered sugar up his nose. Everyone laughed at him as his eyes watered. Everyone was in a mood for celebration, not realizing that that had survived one battle. There were plenty more to come but now they had gotten a taste of their mortality. None of them had believed that the world was a safe place and knew about the monsters under the bed. But now they had seen some darker evils.

Lucifer stood in the room, blond hair glinting in the cold light, as he smiled down at the demon at his feet. It did not reach his eyes, but even in his angered state he was beautiful. Cold and cruel he was untouchable. Manipulation was a game to him and he knew the extent of the love his followers had for him. He did not care that they allowed themselves to die for him, as long as the job was done. He had never felt a greater love for anyone but himself. He watched the memories flit through Azazal's eyes as he held his wand to his temple, collecting them. Lucifer emptied the memories into his palantir and watched the silver contents blend. He dipped the end of his wand into the bowl and smiled when he saw the wide blue eyes of Castiel as the angel struggled through the forest with his friends. He watched his pretty brother climb through the swamps and felt something stir within him when he saw him take flight or kiss his handsome friend.

"He is beautiful, isn't he Azazel?"

The demon looked at him out of a swollen eye. "Yes my lord."

Lucifer smiled at him, blue eyes frosty. "I might have gotten to meet him if a certain wolf hadn't shed its cowardly skin."

"I..I am sorry. I humbly apologize."

"Crucio!" The angel watched the demon twitch on the ground with interest. "Castiel is very strong for his lack of training. It is as I feared, he is the one. This makes your failure greater. Do you not remember how vital it is that we stop him? 'The betrayer will have the seals broken. The Devil walks free when treacherous words are spoken. The blood of the brother and relics of the fallen angel return him to his cage. The friends will set the stage.' His blood will trap me in that hell hole again, and you decided to let him walk free? Azazel my friend," he leaned in and lifted up the demon's bloody face with a hand. "I trust you will not let him escape again?"

Azazel nodded and whispered out of his broken mouth "I will not my lord. The angel will be yours and I shall make it so."

Lucifer smiled at him. "Good boy."


	13. The Setting of the Stage

**Underworld's-Reject****- Thanks for the review! Haha buckle up, things are getting intense!**

**Haventmetmyangelyet-hope your name doesn't get chopped off when I write it like this, time to experiment!**

"The Setting of the Stage"

The boys stood in front of Hogwarts, welcoming the feeling of returning home wash over them. Sirius gave each boy a hug. "Keep in touch kids. Technically I'm not allowed in the castle since I'm a wanted wizard but if need be I can sneak in with my animagus form."

"Shape shifting?" Dean raised a speculative eyebrow.

"No, don't they teach you anything in that school anymore? And what is your problem? If you like shape shifters so much, why don't you marry one?" He closed his eyes and actually stuck his tongue out at Dean.

Dean looked crabby until Lupin chastised Sirius for being childish. Feeling warm and content with smugness Dean practically skipped into the castle as the other boys rolled their eyes.

They said goodbye to Sirius and stepped into the castle, feeling relief at once again being secure within its walls. Dean let his hand slide along the banister as they climbed the stairs. It felt really nice to have a place to belong to. Usually his small family would frequent cheap motels instead of the standard white picket fenced house and when he thought of home it was always some sort of memory at the castle. He ruffled Castiel's hair affectionately and grasped his hand as they made their way upstairs. Castiel blushed lightly and smile happily at Dean. He loved him. He was brave and caring and funny and unafraid to show the entire school that he cared for him.

Dean grinned at Mulder. "Wanna race?"

"Challenge accepted." Mulder pulled a surprised Don onto his back and tucked his hands under his knees. Dean did the same with Castiel and the boys sped across the hallway to their dorm piggy-back style before Sam and Gabriel could even get a chance to follow them. Lupin shook his head. They reminded him of when he was a young idiot at Hogwarts except they seemed to get into worse trouble. He headed back to his office where he was greeted by a shaggy black dog. He rolled his eyes.

"Sirius, sneaking into the castle already?"

Sirius transformed into a human in seconds. "Yup." He put an arm around Lupin's shoulders. I think you are going to need some help looking after these kiddos so I plan on sticking around more often. A single mom isn't going to cut it with them."

Lupin laughed and shook his head. "Hopefully between you, me, and Bobby we can keep them alive."

"We will."

If the boys found readjusting to the castle difficult they didn't show it. They had missed a little less than a week of classes and were a bit behind, but it felt like they had been gone much longer. They had grown through the trials they had faced but that didn't stop them from acting like idiots. First day of potions and Mulder had found a way to magically shrink Snape's head really tiny. The potions master couldn't understand why his usually quiet class was laughing at him. He sneered around only to receive a chorus of laughter from the Gryffindor's.

"Turn to page three hundred and ninety four." He was met with more laughter. His voice was teeny too! "Be quiet class or that essay on Confusing Concoctions will be twice the length of parchment assigned."

"Sir?" Uriel raised his hand with an insincere smile. "Mulder…altered your face. I believe that is why the Gryffindor's are being even more unruly then they normally are." He looked smug as Dean flipped him off.

"Detention Mr. Mulder."

"Sir? Winchester also made an obscene gesture at me."

"Oh did he now? Detention for you too Winchester." Dean scowled. Don picked up his entire bottle of essence of lionfish and poured it into Uriel's cauldron, causing it to boil over and turn the Slytherin an ugly shade of chartreuse.

Snape looked furious as Don pounded fists with his buddies and looked expectant back at him. "Detention Eppes." Castiel didn't get the memo and sat there with his friends until Snape gave him detention too (for no reason), not realizing that if one boy got in trouble they had a pact that that at least one of the others would purposely join them.

They stayed after class gutting Fugu fish which was messy and boring. Unless you were a teenage boy.

"Hey Castiel, think fast!" Castiel blinked and looked in horror at Mulder when a fish eye ball connected with his face. He grasped an entire fish and full on slapped Mulder with it. He felt something cold and slimy hit the back of his head and smacked Dean back good with his fish. Don picked Dean up and trash canned him in the fish barrel making everyone, even Dean, laugh. All was good fun until they heard Snape arguing with someone in his office. Don and Mulder continued on creating a ruckus for a distraction while Dean and Castiel snuck behind the door to listen.

"I see you failed with your duty in the woods. I'm sure you were properly punished?"

The boys shuddered in horror when they heard Azazel's voice answer. "Yes Severus. No need to be so smug about it. You weren't even chosen for the mission. While you were cozy in the castle I nearly killed all four of the boys. They had unforeseen help. It is a mistake I will not make again."

"How did Eppes survive? I heard you did a messy number on him and then I saw him being his idiotic self in my classroom."

"The Fox made a contract."

"Devil's Road?" Snape looked curious and Dean covered his mouth in horror.

"Yes. We will get the pretty boy soon."

"I wouldn't be too sure. They have already bested you once. It is not a good time to get cocky."

"Understood Snivelous."

Snape glared at him and then leaned in curiously. "Is the Novak boy really an angel?"

Azazel's eyes glowed. "Yes. He's the one, our lord Lucifer said it was so. We must keep an eye on him, or at least you should. He is powerful for his age. If we want to keep the boss out of the box we need to find a way to contain him. We either must kill him or capture him. If you think of a way to achieve one method give me a call. The angel must not be allowed to learn his role in the apocalypse. Understood?" 

Snape sneered back. "Crystal. Now get out of my office." Snape's steps began to come towards them so Dean and Castiel went back to gutting fish as fast as they could.

Snape frowned at them but didn't seem to know that they had been spying. He eyed the slime on their faces and frowned, knowing that a fierce fish battle had occurred.

"Clean this filth up. If it takes you longer than ten minutes you are getting detention again." He got a fish to the face. Snape stood there in shock as a large fish stuck to his face. His face quickly reddened in anger. "Get out of my classroom now! And you get a week's detention Mr. Mulder. Out!" The boys ran out and started laughing breathlessly once they got out of the door, leaving Snape to stew in his misery.

The next morning a fine blanket of snow had coated the roofs of the castle and dusted the castle grounds. It took Dean hours to get out of bed this Saturday morning, but it wasn't from being cold or his usual bought of morning lethargy. He hadn't slept much that night, worried about his friends. He had figured that they were both literally and figuratively out of the woods. Don's resurrection had definitely shocked Dean and he mentally kicked himself for being so stupid. People didn't just come back to life. There always had to be some sort of price. Mulder had been his usual cheerful self since their return and he knew he must be carrying a significant weight in his heart. He was going to hell after all. Dean didn't know if he should yell at his friend or even tell him that he knew. He and Castiel hadn't discussed it. Dean had told the other's about Snape's conversation with the demon, sans the part about Mulder. He knew Don would do something crazy if he knew about Mulder's sacrifice. They were screwed. Dean figured a trip to Bobby's was definitely in order. They had a school trip to Hogsmead scheduled that day so he figured he could always slip off to the Hogshead when the teachers were getting tipsy at the Three Broomsticks. Dean pulled on an ACDC shirt and finally wandered down to score some breakfast. Everyone else was there and Don and David attempted to eat all the bacon before he made it to the table. Dean snatched up a handful grinning at his friends. He was completely stressed out but wasn't going to drag his friends down. The boys had made up a story about getting lost in the Forbidden Forest when following a Hinkypunk. They knew that the Slytherins knew that they had been transported somewhere but Dean figured that demons weren't going to inform them of what was going on. He peeked through the _Daily Prophet_, frowning as he read it. A story here of a missing husband that returned and slaughtered his whole family. Children disappearing from their beds in the night. Ritual killings becoming an everyday event. Lucifer's followers were getting braver. This meant that he must be gaining power. Dean chewed on a piece of toast worriedly. Yup he definitely needed Bobby.

The students lined up behind Umbridge as she led them to the entrance of Hogsmead, shoving each other whenever she wasn't looking. Finally she let them loose.

"Where do we want to start?" Castiel unfolded a map and studied it.

Dean and Mulder shared a look and shouted "ZONKOS!" at the same time. Castiel sighed, he knew there was no getting around going to the joke shop. At least they were getting it out of the way, he knew that letting his friends run wild would lead to future detentions. Dean held the door open for his friends like a perfect gentleman and slammed it shut eagerly as he sped in.

"This must be what heaven looks like." Mulder looked at the walls with wide eyes.

"Not like you would ever get in there, we all know where you're going." Dean and Castiel exchanged worried glances when they saw Mulder look pale as he gave Don a half smile. Yup he actually was going to hell.

Dean started loading his arms up with everything: from the classics like whoopee cushions to magical pranks. Everyone grabbed a fair share of dung bombs. Dean and Castiel bought up lots of joke items for Mulder's Christmas present. He was super easy to shop for. The boys let the joke shop, all grinning, even Castiel who was just happy to be out of there. Dean had brought an extra long scarf and he wrapped it first around his neck and then Castiel's. This made dragging the angel places much easier. Castiel laughed pulled Dean in by the scarf and kissed him lovingly on the mouth. Dean kissed him back smiling as a group of old people on their way to church glared at them. Mulder and Don were walking with a hand in the other's back pocket, nearly giving the oldsters a heart attack. They stopped in the Magical Menagerie to check out the animals. Most of the girls in their grade were either there or at the tea shop. Except for Jo and Liz, who were checking out the broom shop. Castiel fell in love with a blue pygmy puff and was delighted when Dean bought it for him. He let Dean name it Grover and it now stood on his shoulder purring and changing colors as he hugged Dean's arm happily.

"Hey guys, can we split up for a bit so we can get each other's presents?"

"Sure thing, don't want you to get your greedy hands on yours too soon."

"Shut up Mulder, you probably just want to find someplace to bang your boyfriend." Dean grinned as Mulder laughed and waved as he and Don went in the opposite direction. Dean gripped Castiel's wrist and sped him towards the Hogshead, cradling the pygmy puff in his hands.

"Bobby! Yo, Bobby? BOOOOOOBBBYYYYYYY-"

"What is it you idgit? I'm not here at your beck and call. And what are you two doing here?" He scowled at both of them as he cleaned a glass with a rag.

"Glad to finally have your attention." Bobby looked irked. "Hogsmead trip. Thought we'd drop in for a friendly visit to our good Bobby Singer, but I guess you don't even seem happy to see us, so we will be peacing out." Dean gripped Castiel's shoulder lightly and made a show of steering him towards the door. He smiled when he heard Bobby set the glass down.

"Get back here idiot. Just making sure that you aren't getting into more than your usual share of trouble. Now what is it? Just a friendly visit?"

Dean glanced around the pub. "Wish I could say yes Bobby, but I am strictly business today." He puffed out his chest impressively as Bobby shared a look with Castiel. Dean leaned in and whispered "Can we talk somewhere more private? Your people don't look like the most inviting ones, no offense. And not everyone should hear us."

Bobby glared around at all the patrons who were staring at them. "Good job idiot. Now they are all lookin' at us. Sometimes I think you have to be dumber than a bag of rocks. Hey Ellen, can you man the bar?"

"Sure thing Bobby. You just take care of the lunk head and the ang-the…not lunk head." Ellen picked up a glass and cleaned it furiously, mad at almost slipping up. If some of these people knew that they had an angel in their midst there would be chaos. Many swarthy and sly faces were sitting too near on bar stools.

"Thanks sugar. Kids an' I will be upstairs. Holler if you need anything. Come on kiddos." Bobby led the way upstairs. Castiel looked about the room. He hardly remembered what it looked like from his last visit since he had been in so much pain last time. He was grateful that he could actually talk to Bobby this time. He couldn't explain why, but Bobby just made him feel safe.

"Okay boys. What's up?"

"Oh nothing, just the freakin' apocalypse." Bobby raised an eyebrow at Dean. "Has Lupin told you about our little camping trip?"

"Yeah he did. I got give it to you kids, I'm surprised you even lived through that trip. Full grown hunters have died in there and you igits just waltzed right in and back out."

Dean frowned. "Well we didn't really 'waltz outta there' but we survived."

"Yeah, I wondered about that. How the hell did your buddy survive that? Heard he just showed up after kicking the bucket. That doesn't just happen. Did you throw some holy water on him?"

"It's him." Castiel looked straight into Bobby's eyes making him shudder at the intensity there.

"Yeah, we've been best friends since we were kids, it's him. And we just found out how he came back."

Bobby looked interested. "Seriously? How?"

Dean looked at Castiel and then down at the floor before muttering "Devil's Road."

"WHAT?"

"Mulder made a deal with a demon. Don't know how long he has before…you know. He didn't tell us anything."

"Then how do you know?"

"Getting to that part. Get us something to drink?" Bobby stared at him. "Please?"

"Sure. We definitely need something." Bobby grabbed three glasses off of a shelf and poured fire whisky into each one. "Drink up."

"Thanks Bobby. We had detention with Snape-"

"You gettin in trouble up at that school-"

"Bobby. I'm trying to tell the story." Bobby rolled his eyes but kept quiet. "So we had detention with Snape. We heard him talking to someone in his office and since he is a sneaky asshole we decided to do some spying. Mulder and Don kept up a distraction while Cas and I hid behind the door to listen. And guess who was chatting away with the nutty professor?"

"Who?"

"Azazel. The yellow eyed son of a bitch demon that dad has been hunting for years and tried to kill us off in the forest. They talked about how Lucifer is after Cas, they are scared of him or something." He ruffled Castiel's hair fondly. "Don't know how you could be, but whatever. Demons are dumb. Anyway they were after us to get Cas and we beat them. They also talked about how Mulder decided to be a stupid dick and get a contract with the crossroads demon. We don't know anything else."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Did you try _asking_ him? You are supposed to be friends aren't you? Talk to him."

Dean sighed and Castiel rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "It's just not a subject he wants to talk about."

"Who would want to talk about it? But that doesn't mean you don't have to. Ask him how long he has. I can hit the books and talk to some hunters. We don't want to put this off. And Castiel, remember not to show off those angel powers. I had some weirdos asking about you here today and I had to throw out a couple of demons. They know where you are now." Castiel swallowed and grasped Dean's hand nervously. "I thought you were safe up in that castle but if Azazel got in there then who knows." He looked at Dean. "Don't let him hang around by himself. I believe that Castiel is the one who will put Lucifer back in the box." Dean and Castiel looked shocked at him as Bobby pulled out a book and read:

'The betrayer will have the seals broken. The Devil walks free when treacherous words are spoken. The blood of the brothers and relics of the fallen angel return him to his cage. The friends will set the stage. One will be the sacrifice and one will lose his wings. He finds them when blood is shared and his heart sings. One will be lost and the last left to recall. They come together and the devil will fall.'

Dean frowned. "Sounds like bad poetry to me." Bobby glared at him as Castiel curiously looked at the page. An angel stood with his back to Castiel. White wings flared from his back and he carried a man in his arms. Two men lay in a pool of blood in the shape of a strange insignia on the floor. Light spewed from the floor and a blond man was being swallowed into the earth.

"I also did some research on how to get the jack back into the box." Castiel gazed up at him, ready to absorb any and all information. "He doesn't just have demons as followers. Here read up on the four horse men." He threw a book at Dean. "Famine, Pestilence, War, and Death. They carry four rings, one per horseman. They are horcruxes."

"Whore crutches? Come again?"

Bobby glared at him. "You heard me boy. Now horcruxes are made when someone is evil enough to slice off bits of their souls and lock them in some object. Each ring has a piece of Lucifer's soul inside the gemstone." Dean and Castiel looked equally disgusted. "You kids need to get those rings. I don't know what to do with them yet, but I will keep looking."

Dean nodded. He was glad that they now could try to do something about Lucifer instead of sitting around on their hands all day.

"C'mon Cas. We have some horsemen to catch." Dean hugged Bobby and put an arm around Castiel, not really realizing that he had no idea as to where to look for the horsemen of the apocalypse. Bobby shook his head and handed Castiel a few books. "Peek in that restricted section of the Hogwarts library. I'm sure Lupin can get you permission. And no farting around, this is the possible end of the world we are talking about. Lucy walks free too long and humans will be an extinct species."

"Don't worry Bobby, the world is safe in our hands." He did his best Allstate insurance impersonation. "Are you in good hands?"

Bobby watched them leave shaking his head yet again. "Idiot."


	14. First Christmas

**Hey all! Hope you are still enjoying yourselves, I know I am having a great time writing it! Here's a shout-out to my two loyal reviewers, you guys seriously rock!**

**Underworld's-Reject****- Haha thank you! Glad you are still here reviewing and I'm glad you like it!**

**Haventmetmyangelyet- Merci Beaucoup! Hmm I will check the song out Yup the boys still have a long way to go, poor things!**

"First Christmas"

Castiel lay on his bed peeking through a combination of books he had gotten from Bobby and ones borrowed from the restricted section of the library. Not much lore was to be found, and what was there was either confusing or cryptic or in another language entirely. He couldn't stop staring at the page with the imprisonment of Lucifer. It seemed unreal that he could be the angel whose wings his fingers were currently tracing. He knew so little about himself. He could fly sure, but what else? He wasn't ready for battle. Scuffles with Slytherins weren't much preparation so he was very worried that the end of the world would come upon them when he was looking the other way. It was a lot to take in and pretty much the whole world was in his hands. He had never assumed his own importance to be that great as an orphan with an abusive father. He wasn't overly bitter but never overtly friendly. This was the first year Castiel had ever known people he could honestly call friends. Gabriel had always looked after him, but with his eccentric personality and quick wit he made friends easily and didn't have all the time in the world for his lonely little brother. Castiel had gotten so much this year, and he was heartbreakingly grateful. Here he had friends, substitutions for parents, and a place that really felt like home. Not to mention the fact that he had fallen in love with the most amazing man on earth, Dean Winchester. Castiel smiled. If Lucifer needed to be jammed back into his box he was determined to do everything in his power to keep him in there. Failure was not an option. Sure he was terrified out of his mind at the weight on his shoulders, but he wasn't going to complain. Now he had things to lose, and he wasn't going to let them slip out of his fingers that easily. Castile smiled happily as Dean jumped on the bed and wrapped an arm around him

"Need some help hitting the books?"

"Yes please." Castiel rewarded him with a kiss and passed over a thick volume. Mulder and Don were spying through a book on the horseman as they cuddled in the same armchair. They took turns turning the page. Castiel eyed them a bit sadly. He had no idea on how to breach the subject of the devil's road with Mulder. Don had no idea what Mulder had done for him, and Castiel was worried that he would resort to suicide if he knew. There was no way he would allow the contract to go through if he had any idea of its existence. Castiel chewed his nails nervously. It would have to be done, they would be busy with school and hunting down the horsemen and their horcruxes, but there was no excuse. Mulder couldn't go to the pit. He would find a way.

Dean yawned and scratched his butt. "Hey, what are you two doing for Christmas?"

Don shrugged. "Dunno. Thought we would stay here and track down those horsemen." None of the boys really wanted to go home. Dean and Sam didn't really have a home to go to and their dad was always on a hunt. Castiel, being an orphan, really had no place to go. Don didn't get along with his dad and Mulder's parents' divorce hadn't been amicable. The excuse of stopping the apocalypse seemed to be much easier to say out loud somehow.

Dean checked his phone. "Hey, Bobby wants us to come down to the Hogshead Christmas. Sounds like we won't starve after all!"

"Since when have we ever starved here? Damn I love house elves." Mulder stretched and took the book out of Don's hands. "C'mon guys, let's take a break. The Apocalypse maybe around the corner, but that just means we need to feed our faces while we still can."

The boys spent the first week of their Christmas break either with their noses stuck in their books or playing quidditch. The entire castle was decked out in Christmas colors. The ceiling of the great hall depicted a snowy day and tinsel lined the stair cases. Castiel was absolutely delighted by the huge Christmas tree that towered in the great hall and all of the tacky décor found absolutely everywhere. Durmstrang had never even decorated for the holiday and orphanages weren't the cheeriest places to spend your Christmas. They had loads of homework to do, but Scully and Amita promised to help them out when they got back, as long as they put in an attempt to put a dent in it.

Famine road his dark horse along an overgrown road. The grass wilted at his passing and the plants that had survived the frost were crushed by the hooves of the thestral would never bear seed to future growth. The beast's nostrils flared and its skinny hide heaved as the horseman drove him nearly to death. He clutched the thestral's mane with his thin white fingers as he gasped for air. There never seemed to be enough to fill his starving lungs. Hunger pangs gripped on, but he carried on his path. Soon the thestral succumbed to his exhaustion and fell to his knees. The horseman slid off the beast weakly and unwrapped a piece of human flesh from his stained handkerchief, waiting patiently for the crowd of thestrals to come near. A younger horse dragged its skeletal wings behind him as he slowly sniffed Famine's outstretched fingers and accepted the offering. Famine smiled widely, revealing two rows of uneven yellowed teeth. "Good boy." It bent its knees and waited for the horseman to struggle onto its back before running off, unable to stop but hungering for rest. The beast foamed at the mouth dreaming of biting again into bloody flesh and flared his nostrils, now interested in the scent of the humans it normally avoided. Hooves pounded the dirt as Famine made his way across the earth.

Castiel woke up sleepily snuggled against Dean's chest. He felt warm and peaceful until Mulder and Don jumped on their bed and began bouncing excitedly.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Whoohoo presents! Santa sure helped us make bank!" Mulder shouted as he bounced on the bed. Castiel thought it was adorable how he had insisted on making them the night before for Santa. He decided against asking Mulder if Santa was one of the weird things he believed in. A food fight had broken out and horrified house elves had stood around wringing their hands as the boys smeared frosting all over each other and decorated the walls with flour. Castiel had felt guilty and helped the frantic elves clean up the mess as Mulder nearly burnt one batch of cookies while Don and Dean ate most of the dough left in the bowl. The house elves had shooed them out before they created anymore chaos, loading them with food. Castiel figured it would be best if they didn't drop in there for a while.

"They're gone! They're gone!" Mulder jumped on the bed excitedly. Castiel smiled. All the boys still felt rather sick from eating "Santa's" cookies from the night before. David had snagged a small tree from the forest and he and Don had somehow snuck it all the way into their dorm. The base was loaded with presents. Sam, Gabriel, and Charlie came in grinning and attacked their presents under the tree.

Dean leaned in and sleepily kissed Castiel on the cheek. "Let's get started on these bitches." The boys sat on the rug as they opened piles of presents. Castiel scored like he never had before. A box of sweets from David, a classy scarf covered in snitches from Don, pornos from Gabriel that he immediately threw away, and a pygmy puff circus for Grover from Mulder. Bobby and Ellen had sent each of the four boys an amulet on a necklace to ward off possession. Castiel looked at them in wonder, they were beautiful. His had a light blue stone and shone prettily by the light of the fireplace. Dean held an emerald stone in his hand while Mulder and Don eyed their amethyst and ruby red stones, impressed. Castiel laughed delightedly when he saw that Dean had gotten him a leather jacket similar to his with wings etched on the back. Castiel hugged him and pulled it on over his pajamas. The spent the rest of the day stuffing their faces and throwing snowballs at each other. They changed clothes in the early evening and met Lupin outside his classroom.

"Hey guys, merry Christmas" He smiled at them as a black dog wearing a Santa hat came out of his office, practically grinning. The boys rolled their eyes when he pretended to sniff a shocked Dean's butt.

"C'mon Snuffles." Dean threw a ball down the hallway, making Sirius chase it to keep up his appearance of being a dog. He chucked the ball for Sirius the entire way down to the Hogshead. The pub was closed, and Bobby and Ellen had decorated tables set in a line and even set up a large well-lit tree in the corner. Jo and Liz had come and were helping Ellen carry out food. The pub looked much more inviting and it was actually bright and almost cheery looking. A man came out of the back room carrying cranberry sauce and Castiel immediately knew who he was: John Winchester. He was handsome and rugged. Dean carried himself with the same swagger and had his broad shoulders. Castiel starred at him in awe for a few minutes as he helped set the table with a ready smile for everyone and the occasional joke. Then Castiel blanched. He didn't think that a brave manly father like John would want his son dating a guy. He stared at the ground in panic mode as John came over to them. He gripped Dean in a massive bear hug and pulled Sam in the embrace. The weeks, even months apart didn't seem to destroy the love this small family had for each other. He then hugged Don and Mulder before smiling down at Castiel.

"So you must be Castiel." He pulled the shocked Castiel into a hug and muttered "Dean has told me so much about you, angel. Welcome to the family." Castiel felt his heart warmed with happiness. He had feared the man's disapproval, when there was nothing to fear. He could tell that John was not a man to cross, but he cared deeply for those he loved.

Castiel helped Bobby carry in the glasses as everyone got things ready. He had never truly had a Christmas and was practically bouncing on his heels, apocalypse temporarily forgotten. As they dug into the most amazing of feasts John told the crowd about the hunts he had been on lately. Castiel listened, fascinated, as he held Dean's hand under the table. Dean pigged out on everything while listening transfixed to his father. Castiel could see the extent of the love he had for his dad and how John did seem to treat Dean more like a soldier and Sam like a son. Castiel looked over everyone contentedly. He watched Mulder pick at his food, half listening. Something was definitely on his friend's mind, and he was pretty sure he knew what it was. He frowned and took a sip out of his pumpkin juice.

Bobby had a good story about an awkward incident with him and a shape shifter that had taken on his form. Dean listened closely. He had a vendetta against shape shifters. Dinner got cleared away and desert brought out. When Mulder went out for some air Castiel nodded at Dean. "Distract Don. I'm going to go talk to Mulder. Put on a Red Sox game rerun or something." Dean nodded and went over to Don to talk baseball as Mulder slipped outside with Mulder.

"Hey." Castiel leaned against the wall and put his chilled hands in his pockets.

"Hey Cas. What's up?"

"Are you ok…you have seemed a bit off lately."

Mulder peeked at him. "Really?" He gave him a lopsided smile and looked away. "People have been telling me that for years."

Castiel gripped his shoulder and turned Mulder back towards him. "I'm serious Mulder." He stared straight into his eyes, unblinking. "I know what's wrong."

Mulder bit his bottom lip nervously before asking softly "Do you?"

"Yes, I do. Don't' worry, just Dean, Bobby, and I know. Don is still in the dark. Are you going to tell him?"

Mulder's eyes flashed as he looked back at Castiel. "No."

"So you are just going to wait until the dogs drag you to hell? I'm sorry Mulder, but I don't think that is the best way for Don to find out."

"I can't tell him! Don't you see it? That is the only time he can find out." Tears started at the corners of Mulder's eyes. "If Don knows, even seconds before, he'll do something crazy. Don would sacrifice himself for the people he loves without a second thought."

Castiel put his arm around his friend's thin shoulders. "I know someone else who would." He smiled softly at Mulder.

"Yeah but he does it the first time. I'm just cleaning up after my own mistakes. I naturally ruin the lives of the people around me, and sometimes I don't even notice I'm doing it. First I lost Samantha, and then that tore my parents apart. And Don died…he actually fucking died for me! Can't I do the same for him?"

Castiel leaned over and wiped a tear off Mulder's cheek. "I understand why you did it Mulder, and I believe you are a benefit to everyone. I wish you could see that people love you so much because you are amazing. But this is hell we are talking about. Endless torture in a pit of monsters. Don may be an asshole sometimes, but I'm sure if he died he wouldn't go there."

Mulder smiled weakly. "Yeah but then I would never be able to live with myself. I'm too selfish Cas. I love him. And look," he nodded towards the window at Don play fighting with Charlie and Dean. "What would Charlie do without him? He is so brave and loving, I couldn't let him just leave so early and in such a horrible way. Every time I dream I end up with the same nightmare of watching the wolf rip his guts out and then I hold him while he slowly dies. Even when I look at him now, I'm scared of losing him again. He's reckless. The demon said that the only way to get out of the contract is if he dies before…I get dragged to hell. And the worst part is…I have a bad feeling. Every time we kiss, I feel like it could be the last time. It's like there is a shadow around him that will eventually swallow him whole."

"How long do you have?" Castiel gripped his hand when he saw Mulder's ashen face.

"Three months."

Castiel gasped and hugged him to his chest. "That doesn't give us much time, Mulder." He gripped his shoulders and stared unblinking into his eyes. "We will get you out of this, I promise."

"Cas?"

"Yes Mulder?"

"Since you are an angel, does that mean there is a heaven?"

Castiel chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Yes. I would think so. If there is a hell then there must be a heaven. For so much evil to exist in the world, there has to be enough…you know…good to balance it out. I believe that for hell to exist it must have a counter part: heaven. I don't know what god is doing, if he is there, but he must have some sort of plan for us. I just have trouble understanding why he puts us through so much pain?"

"Oh god Cas, I don't want to die!" Mulder sobbed into his shoulder. "I am so scared. Three months, and I go to hell and lose him forever." Castiel ran his fingers through Mulder's hair at a loss for words. He then looked up and went white. Don was standing there quietly in the snow with an unreadable expression. Dean stood behind him panting with a busted lip. He had obviously done the best he could to detain him from marching out there, but it hadn't been enough. All four boys looked at each other quietly. Don searched Mulder's reddened eyes for a moment before turning and leaving. Mulder's sobs grew louder as he clung on the front of Castiel's jacket.

Dean muttered "Son of a bitch" and went after Don as Castiel tried to keep Mulder calm.

"Don? Don? Get your ass back here you son of a bitch!" Dean tackled Don in the snow as his friend fought him off frantically.

"Get the hell off me!" He decked Dean in the face. Dean punched Don straight in the nose and pinned him into the snow, gripping his shaking shoulders.

"Dude, freakin' calm down!"

Don struggled and glared at him fiercely. "Calm down? Are you seriously telling me to fucking calm down right now?" He searched Dean's eyes and asked more quietly "How long have you known?"

"How long have I known what?"

Don's eyes narrowed. "How long have you known that Mulder was going to hell!" He gasped for breath as tears ran down his face. Dean eyed him worriedly. Don never cried and kept himself as distant as possible and here he was crying like a broken faucet.

"We just found out a week ago."

"What, and I get to be the only one out of the loop? How could you not tell me?"

Dean pinned his shoulders down deeper into the snow. "Because this is how we knew you would react! You're crazy Don and we figured this was the only way to stop you from being a stupid dick."

"I'm not going to lose him Dean! I'm not. Get off of me!"

"Not until you calm down. Look. Look!" He gripped both sides of Don's face, wincing at the fire he saw in those brown eyes. "We will save Mulder. If there's angels out there, then there has to be something that can save him, right? Just…promise me you won't do some dick move before the time's up, ok? Promise me."

Don eyed him as he attempted to breathe through his busted nose. "Okay Dean. I won't do "some dick move." Dean eyed him, still not convinced, but held out his hands. Don gripped it and Dean pulled him to his feet.

Dean pulled Don into his chest as he flailed. "C'mon Donnie, chick flick time. No one else is here, so you can cry if you want."

Don fiercely wiped the tears off his face and muttered "Already did," but let Dean hold him for a few minutes as he attempted to patch the pieces of his heart back together. Dean thought he had fought off the storm until he noticed Don's lower lip tremble in defeat. Dean let him sob into his chest as he stood there wondering how the hell they were going to save Mulder.

They returned to the Hogshead where Castiel and Mulder were waiting for them. Mulder searched Don's face worriedly until Don gave him a small smile and held his hand out to him. Mulder took it gratefully and nuzzled his head into Don's shoulder. Sirius got them all to gather around the fire when he brutally assaulted them with his singing once again. Everyone joined in for his favorite "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogryphs," even for the encore before pulling coats and scarves back on to fight of the cold night air.

Ellen had packed them a basket of food and Bobby slipped in some bottles of butter beer and fire whisky with a wink.

"Take care of yourselves you igits. Now I want you to keep me posted, all right? You copy?"

"Yes Bobby, we copy." Dean hugged him. "Thanks for Christmas and the cool jewelry."

Bobby looked incredulous at him. "Jewelry? Are you a bigger idio-"

Dean laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Nah, we know they are amulets. And yes we will wear them, and wash behind our ears ect."

John gave Dean and Sam massive hugs and packages shaped like broomsticks as Bobby said goodbye to the other boys. Sam ripped his off first and jumped around in delight. "A firebolt! A firebolt! Thanks dad!" Dean ripped his open and grinned when he saw a firebolt roll out of the wrappings. He hugged his dad fiercely. John also warned the boys to be safe before giving them each a hug. He hugged Castiel one more time and smiled down at him.

"I know you have a lot on your shoulders right now, not including the wings." Castiel smiled. "Just stick together and I'm sure you boys will put up a hell of a fight. Take care of Dean, he cares a lot about you." Castiel nodded solemnly.

"Yes sir." John smiled at him.

The boys wandered back in their dorms feeling mentally drained. Dean collapsed in bed without bothering to change, so Castiel rolled his eyes and pulled Dean's jeans off before going to brush his teeth. Mulder and Don immediately crashed on Mulder's bed and began an intense make out session. Castiel figured this was their way of apologizing and that they probably wouldn't talk things out until one of them exploded. When Castiel finished taking a shower and brushing his teeth he walked in on his friends in the throes of passion. Don's back arched as he rolled back into Mulder who was fiercely pounding into him while whispering "I love you" into his neck. Make up sex. Somehow Dean was dead asleep amid the tangle of moans and limbs.

Castiel hurried down stairs, figuring David was lucky he had gone home for Christmas. Sure his friends were hot, but he still felt like he had walked in on family. Castiel still had been nervous to get to that point with Dean, and he was lucky he was being so patient with him. Dean was the only person Castiel had ever been with and he had only kissed a few girls before. He figured he would have to man up and put out more before he didn't get a chance to. He didn't want to possibly lose Dean without proving the extent of his love for him. Castiel looked determined. Next time Dean wanted to take things farther he was going to not only let him, but damn well enjoy it too. He opened up the book and peeked at the page with the angel one more time before falling asleep dreaming of falling from the sky into a pit of fire as his wings failed him and Dean cried out for him brokenly.


	15. Famine

**Hey all you lovely readers! Reviews, you people are peachy to the billionth power and make my day. Thanks for the support and making me smugger than a politician with a mistress!**

**Nutmeg17- Welcome aboard! Haha glad you lol'd at that comment. I'm super excited that other people like the idea of SP in the Harry Potter world; it's a bit of a stretch! Thanks for all the reviews, I really enjoyed all of them! Haha glad you liked a lot of those lines!**

**Haventmetmyangelyet- Hey there! Aww I am touched that you liked the Christmas chapter, your comment made me feel so bubbly that Willy Wonka would probably think I lifted his fizzy lifting drink! Yeah they'd better get their game together to keep Mulder outta hell!**

**Underworld's-Reject- Thanks! Glad you like Mulder and Don love, I think they are way too cute! Wasn't planning on using them as much but they just waltzed in lol**

"Famine"

School started up again as snow still covered the grounds. It was a bit less chilly, and everyone could occasionally see the giant squid in the lake lazily stretch out a tentacle towards giggling onlookers. The Gryffindors won the first match of the new year, creaming the Hufflepuffs into submission. The ice melted some and the boys spent afternoons throwing rocks into the water and laughing when the squid threw them back. They felt as if they were wasting time as it was February with no sight of the horseman. Dean rolled a snowball absentmindedly. He had no idea what Lucifer was up to and every day came closer to the due date for Mulder's payment to hell. Dean's phone went off in his pocket as he crammed the snowball down the back of Don's pants.

"Hello? Bobby? Hey, what's up man?" He tried to fight Don off with one hand smiling. "Uh-huh. We will be there."

Dean smiled at everyone's curious faces. "That was Bobby. He wants to talk to us. Let's head up to the dorm and floo him." They wandered back towards the castle as Don attempted to get the snow out of his boxers.

"Let me help." Don made a comical face of absolute horror as Castiel reached into his pants and pulled snow out of his boxer shorts. Castiel didn't understand why everyone was laughing so hard: if he had snow in his butt crack he wouldn't want it to stay there. Simple logic.

Don eyed him. "Uhh thanks Cas?"

Castiel smiled and nodded. "You are welcome Don." He dusted off his hands and walked thoughtfully towards the castle as Dean snorted and punched Don in the shoulder. "Gotta love him, huh?" He waggled a finger at him grinning. "You were just touched by an angel." Even Don laughed as they turned the corner and ran into the group of their favorite Slytherins: Alistair, Uriel, Colby, and Krychec.

"Hello boys, enjoying your selves?" Uriel smiled coldly at them as Alistair smiled at Dean.

"Looks like we ran into the YMCA club on their way somewhere important. Coming upstairs to blow each other off?"

"You wish you ugly dick. Now get out of our way before we blow your ugly head off!" Dean attempted to push Uriel out of his way as Alistair gripped his wrist.

"Get off him fucker!" Don rammed into Alistair's chest and the two went tumbling down the stairs. Within seconds Colby had Castiel's arms behind his back and Krycheck had Mulder prone on the ground. Dean was frozen with a leg locker curse from Uriel.

"Nice work gentlemen." Ruby smiled at them. I believe this is our precious little angel?" Castiel glared at her as she tilted up his chin. He spit in her face and struggled wildly. Ruby wiped the spit off her face, barely maintain the same smile. "Feisty, aren't you? Ooooh pretty wings." Castiel looked surprised, he must have uncloaked his wings in his anger. He stared down at Colby, who had fallen to the ground when his wings sprang from his back. He stepped towards Ruby and stretched his hand out towards her. He cried out in pain as he felt Colby's fingers bury into his wing. Castiel turned around and knocked him over with the other wing as his eyes watered with pain. Colby sat on the ground in shock, feathers in his hand. Castiel placed two fingers on Ruby's forehead and a plume of smoke escaped her lips and forced its way out of an unlatched window. Castiel turned towards Colby who flew into a suit of armor. Krychec high tailed it out of there. Uriel and Colby followed, staring wide eyed at Castiel over their shoulders. Castiel put his hand on Dean's shoulder, who looked surprised that he could move again. Mulder stood up wearing the same shocked expression as Dean.

"Damn Cas, you sure kick ass." Dean kissed him on the cheek as Castiel stared down at his hands, wondering how he just seemed to react in these situations. If he could fly and rip demons out of their meat suits, what else was he capable of doing? And more importantly, what could Lucifer do that he couldn't?

"Hey, you guys alright?" Don came over cradling his sprained wrist as Mulder checked him over for other injuries.

"Where's Alistair?"

Don's face broke into a huge grin. "Come see him." He nodded towards the stairs. The boys came over and looked down. Alistair's head was trapped in the vanishing step and the rest of his body was attempting to free itself.

Dean took out his cell phone and snapped a picture of his butt grinning. "Alistair got trapped in a stair." Everyone groaned at Dean. "Totally making copies of this and putting it all over the school." He clapped Don on the shoulder. "Great work dude."

Don grinned. "Thanks buddy." They fist pounded.

Dean glanced over at Castiel. "Hey Cas, are you okay? You're really quiet. More than usual." Castiel nodded but winced when he fluttered his left wing. Dean came over and gently ran his fingers over the feathers and found a patch of blood under some of the feathers. "Does it hurt bad?" Castiel quickly shook his head.

"Shit. Teacher." Don nodded towards the figure in black scurrying towards them. "Stupid pussies must have told on us."

"Yeah and of course they told Snape. Stupid little dicks." Dean glared at them. "Cas, you and Don get to the hospital wing to get checked out. Mulder and I got this covered, we don't look battle injured." Castiel nodded and he and Don went the opposite way, wondering how they were going to weasel out of this one.

Once Snape had been spotted, Mulder had sent out a quick text to Lupin, feeling lucky that his office was nearby. Just in time. Lupin came around the corner to head off Snape. The two argued as Dean and Mulder made identical innocent faces.

Dumbledore came over. "Is there a problem here, gentlemen?"

Snape sneered. "Nothing that we cannot handle ourselves. The boys were fighting."

"Oh were they?" Dumbledore steepled his fingers as his eyes twinkled at Snape.

Lupin smiled. "Yes Severus, do these two children look like they have been fighting? No bruises or anything. If you got a tip off from your students, they must have been involved in the fight?"

Snape looked sour, he didn't want his Slytherins getting in trouble when the Gryffindors weren't even going to be punished. "No, it must have been a false tip." He sniffed and wandered off to his office. Dumbledore nodded at the boys' grateful faces and left whistling.

Lupin looked concerned at them and leaned in closer, eyeing them closely. "Were you guys fighting?"

Mulder bit his bottom lip and nodded. "Yeah, but it wasn't our fault."

"Slytherin dicks just came out of nowhere and attacked us."

Lupin nodded. "Where are the others?"

"Hospital wing, got some battle wounds."

"Was this just a typical hate battle between Gryffindor and Slytherin or something more sinister?"

"A demon was there too. Ruby. They ambushed us and Cas did his thing where he ripped the demon out of its meat suit. Crazy huh?"

"It is strange, they are getting braver if they are attacking you in the corridors. I know you will do your best, so please take care of Castiel. We lose him, and the battle is lost. I believe that we don't even understand how important having an actual angel on our side will be. Oh and Bobby called. He is wondering why you didn't pick up."

"We kinda got busy." Dean grinned at Lupin.

Lupin laughed. "You guys are even worse than my group of friends. Even Sirius didn't get in this much trouble."

Mulder smiled. "Yeah and we weren't even looking for it."

"That's true. Now get back to your dorm so you can call Bobby before he has a cow."

"Thanks for saving our asses back there."

Lupin looked at them seriously. "No thank you. If you guys are going to put the devil back in the box, then I'd better keep a better eye out for you. Don't forget that if you ever need my help, I am right here in the castle."

"Thanks!" Lupin shook his head has the two boys left.

Castiel winced as Madam Pomfrey stitched up the delicate skin of his wing. Don sat by him and held his hand, determinedly not wincing each time Castiel squeezed his hand too hard.

"All done sweeting." She put Don's arm in a sling and gave them both a nasty tasting potion. She handed Don a bag of ice. Now stay there for a while. No-sit-good boy."

Castiel giggled as Don glowered like a reprimanded dog.

"How's the wing?"

Castiel wiggled his wings thoughtfully and grimaced when one felt strained. "Not too bad."

Don raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay. I won't be flying for a few days, but I do not believe that there is any extensive damage." He was relieved that the nurse hadn't commented on the fact that she was stitching up someone's wing.

"Good. I was worried." Don lay with his arm over his eyes. Castiel scooted closer and stared down at him intensely. Don peeked an eye at him.

"What's up?"

"You and Mulder have slept together quite a few times right?" Don stared at him for a few minutes before peeking around to make sure there wasn't anyone else in the hospital wing near them.

He cleared his throat. "Ummm I guess? A few times." He nervously pulled at the Velcro on his wrist brace.

"Were you scared to?"

Don stared at the ceiling wishing Castiel had chosen someone else to ask these questions. "Sure. I was. I was scared to even like him."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I pretty much had girlfriends since kindergarten." He winked at Castiel. "Going from a stud with the ladies to crushing on Spooky Mulder…kinda a big change."

"I believe it would be. I am certain I love Dean, but I am scared to…completely give myself to him."

Don nodded. "That's understandable. I don't think I would have even been brave enough to be with Fox if we didn't go through what we did in the swamp."

Castiel smiled at him. "Good thing you are together. I think you guys are really cute, and I hope Dean and I can share what you have."

"I think you do." Just… don't rush into it."

"I won't. I think I may want to now."

Don eyed him nervously, still fussing with the Velcro. "Uhh…right now?"

Castiel laughed and hugged him. "You're silly."

Don smiled and then looked thoughtful. "I know. Mulder got me and him some Red Sox tickets for Valentine's Day. Game's tomorrow. David has a date that night too. We can get out of your hair and you guys can …figure things out."

Castiel looked delighted at him. "Really? Thanks."

"Don't mention it buddy." He reached over and grabbed a glass of water.

"Oh and Don, are you always on the bottom? I don't know which Dean would like better?"

Don had just taken a sip out of his water and spit it out in horror. "Okay. Cas? I think this conversation is over. Figure out that with him. He will probably be scared too." He slid off the mattress. "Oh and no, I am not always on the bottom."

Castiel smiled and followed Don excitedly with wings still fluttering behind him. He figured that he had the rest of the walk to the dorm to pelt Don with questions. He already felt a bit less nervous. "Thanks Don." He practically skipped the rest of the way to the dorm.

"Hey guys, just in time! We were just telephoning Bobby." Mulder threw a handful of floo powder in the fire place. It burned green and returned to its roaring red. Castiel sat next to Dean looking fascinated as Bobby's face came spinning into view.

"Took you igits a while! It's not like I have all day while you all just fart around-"

"Bobby-BOBBY." Dean stared him down. "We had a little snuggle time with some Slytherins and a demon. Other than that, you are the most important person in my life."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Okaaay. Now back to business. I have news for you."

"Well spit it out!" Bobby glared at Dean. "Umm…please?"

"Sit down and shut up lunk head. Now from the influx of demons in Hogsmead," he gave Dean a warning look when he opened his mouth, "We think Famine has decided to make a little trip into our town. People are going stark crazy out here. Love potions galore, all you can eat buffets sold out entirely, shops running out of stock. Last night I had to throw out have of my patrons before they drank themselves to death. Good for business but not good for the customers. Its gotta be him. I haven't seen him yet, but I figure I would know him if I did. Don't expect horsemen of the apocalypse to act like regular folks. I want you kids to come check it out."

"Seriously? Bobby Singer wants us to waltz into Hogsmead without school permission! Yeeehaaa! Let's go find this sorry son of a bitch, right ladies?"

The other boys grinned and high fived.

"This is exactly what I was worried about! You igits shouldn't be excited to find this guy, you should be scared! Famine has been around for centuries, and has been responsible for the deaths of countless civilizations over the years. He isn't just some demon. You need to get his ring. It is the source of his power and the first horcrux we have come into contact with. Do not mess this up!"

"OKAAAY Bobby. We got it. We stroll in and take the ring. Regular walk in the park."

"Well first you have to find him. To do that you're gonna have to get deep into the mess he made. I hope you kids are up for it, most of the town is succumbing to his will."

"Bobby? We got this in the bag. Trust us."

"I'm only trusting you because I have to. Now get your asses out here."

"Aye captain." Dean smiled at his friends. "Ready to toast us a horseman?"

Famine's mouth curved into a yellow smile as he watched the greed of humanity out in the open. Normally man would be ashamed of the hunger within them, merely cloaking the ugliness that belonged to them. Everyone did it, giving in to their desires in the dark and complaining at the immorality at others who openly chased their desires. If they didn't give in, then they still wanted and just the feeling of all that repressed want put Famine's teeth on edge. It made his hunger greater and he felt as if he would never be satisfied again. He never had. Taking and taking things that never satisfied him. It was like a great big knot of emptiness was inside him, needing to become whole. So he took souls and devoured them into his starved gullet, taking pleasure in the action until he felt the need for yet another soul. People crammed their faces forgetting how fragile their human bodies were. They felt righteous in idolatry. They drowned themselves in alcohol until their bodies could no longer take the strain of their wanting souls. All the needed was the slightest push: any excuse to act on desires that had been repressed. He put his feet up and simply watched the show.

Castiel held Dean's hand as they wandered out of the castle. He smiled when Dean ran his thumb over his hand, it made him feel safe and he was nervous now. Their last field trip had temporary killed Don and made Mulder give his soul to hell. He looked at Dean. He could tell that the over-eager attitude was simply a front. Dean was scared and he knew that he was hiding it from everyone else, giving them a confidant leader who knew what he was doing. Castiel looked over the town. It was a mess. He eyed shattered windows and the litter that covered the street. They saw people collapsed on the road, some with swollen stomachs and food dried on their faces. Castiel felt sick. Dean squeezed his hand. Lines snaked around buildings of restaurants as crowds shouted and waved money to get in. Castiel looked shocked when he saw people bust into store windows and climb out carrying stolen wares. He felt a bit dizzy and clung on to Dean as he watched the blatant evil expose itself all over the town. The boys nervously walked into the Hogshead. Tables were turned over except for one at the back. The long wooden rectangle was covered with empty tankards and spilled booze.

"Bobby? Bobby?"

"Over here igit!" Bobby walked over holding a bag of ice over his eye.'

"Woah, nice shiner, what happened, where's Ellen?"

"Right here sweet cheeks." Ellen's hair was wild and she held a fire poker in her hand. "Demons happened. And that jackass of a horseman decided to park his thestral in our town."

"So he's here? Did you see him?"

Bobby sighed. "Yep. He is out there somewhere, causing chaos. Most of our stores are empty. We had to close the bar and when we did people kept breaking in. It's a total nightmare." He handed Castiel a knife with a jagged blade. "Use this to cut the finger off. It can also be used to slay lower orders of demon."

Castiel nodded. "Thank you. We will use it well." Bobby squeezed his shoulder.

Dean glanced around and took a sip out of an abandoned glass, much to everyone's disgust. "Well, you two kids sit tight. We are gonna go skin us a son of a bitch.

Ellen and Bobby stared after them as they wandered out. "Igits."

The boys walked down the road ignoring the crazies that littered the street. Castiel figures that all the unaffected people had locked themselves away in their house before they succumbed to the insanity. Then they saw him. Famine. A wizened old man, he looked like he should have died long ago. A group of demons eyed the approaching teenagers as they slowly walked towards the horseman.

"Hello boys. You look well. Studying hard up at that school of yours? Did you bring your bag of magic tricks?" Yellow teeth gleamed in the fading light.

Castiel glared at him. "You are an abomination, as is your master."

Famine laughed. "What am I guilty of you dear little thing? The urge was there, I simply fed it. The entire town was secretly starving. I let them out to feed." He leered at Castiel. "I'm surprised none of my hungry hosts has tried to feed on you yet. What a pretty boy you are. Or should I say angel?" Castiel looked surprised at the old man. "Yes I see the wings child. You will make a nice toy for Lucifer." The thestral scraped its hoof against the ground, pulling towards the scent of their fresh blood pumping through healthy young veins.

Dean sputtered looking furious. "Don't talk to him like that or I will personally rip your head off and take a shit on your freaky…horse thing."

Famine frowned at Dean. "Not a very nice little boy are you? Hmm you are an interesting one. Food? I wouldn't peg that to be your craving. Maybe drink and women, no? Ahhhh I see. "You want the pretty little angel, don't you? What's stopping you, he wants you too."

Castiel and Dean locked eyes before Dean crushed his lips against Castiel's. Castiel gasped and threaded his finger into Dean's hair as Dean's lips grazed over his throat and down his neck.

"Stop it shit dick!" Don held his wand in his hand and glared at the horseman.

"Hmm you really are all lovely looking children, too bad no one ever told you to watch your mouths." Don attempted to keep his glare ferocious as Castiel and Dean rolled all over the road, practically devouring each other. "Too bad I cannot tempt you with worldly things. Respect and love from a father? I cannot grant that." He turned to Mulder as Don's hands curled into fists. "Family trouble too sweetheart? If I cannot tempt you, then I will have to simply do away with you. Presents for you." He gestured towards the boys as he smiled at the demons.

"Dean, Cas, snap out of it!" Mulder searched Castiel's eyes frantically. He saw that they were dark with lust as he attempted to lose himself in Dean's frantic kisses. A demon came towards him. "Aquamenti!"

"Dean, you can get some ass later. C'mon!" Don pulled his friend by the shoulder. Dean punched him as he attacked Castiel's open mouth again.

Mulder turned and fired his wand at his friends instead. "Aquamenti!" Jets of water soaked them to the skin as the boys continued to make out. "Shit, Don, they're still at it."

"We gotta get to Famine." Mulder nodded and fired a spell at the horseman. He blinked in surprise as Dean and Castiel untangled from each other with hair mussed and shirts ripped open.

"Now Cas!"

Castiel appeared behind the horseman and sliced the finger off of his gnarled white hand. The horseman howled as his foul blood poured from his wounded hand. Castiel cried out when some of it burned the soft skin. The demons looked in horror and ran away, abandoning their flailing master.

Dean hurried over to make sure Castiel was alright. He pulled him onto his lap and kissed his hair.

"Are you hurt baby?"

Castiel snuggle his head into Dean's neck. "Not too bad. The ring?"

Dean distastefully pulled it out of the pool of blood, taking in a sharp breath as his fingers burned. It was beautiful with a blue stone shining in the intricate silvery material of the band. The band looked like a tangle of feathers.

"Damn, how did something that beautiful come off that annoying prick's finger?" Dean stared at it in awe. "Speaking of annoying pricks, is he dead?"

Don unceremoniously kicked him over and stared into the old face. He covered his nose in horror; the horseman was decomposing within minutes and the thestral had obviously been nibbling at him. Don hurried over to the closest bush and retched as Mulder rubbed his back.

Dean wrinkled his nose and pulled Castiel up. "C'mon Cas. Know what?" Castiel shook his head and smiled at him. "This ring matches your amulet perfectly. How about you hang onto it?" Castiel gasped as Dean dropped it in his hand. It felt heavy and light at the same time. There was something both beautiful and evil about it. Castiel slipped it inside his pocket, afraid to put it on his finger.

"Let's get our asses back to the Hogshead. It's freezing out here!" Dean wrapped an arm around Castiel. "One horseman down, three to go."

The boy walked to the pub as they cuddled with their respective partner.

Lucifer smiled. "So they killed one of the horsemen? I knew these boys would be delightful fun. And they are all so pretty. It's a shame that they will have to die."

Azazel and Ruby shared a look. "Aren't you worried that they killed a horseman? And the angel hardly even used his powers!"

Lucifer half glanced at Ruby. "No, not unless you both decide to keep screwing up. I want that angel. I do find it entertaining to watch them though. Try and catch them before they get all the rings, will you?"

"Yes sir." The two demons fled before their master got nasty. "Let's hope that Pestilence stops them in their tracks. They are too lucky and protected for their own good. We will have to lure them out of that castle."

"Easier said than done." Ruby tossed her hair. "But we cannot fail. We either make early graves for those boys or die." Azazel nodded as they went separate directions. A little spying was in order.


	16. Pestilence

**Hey gangs, thanks for the reviews! You guys rock :) **

**Haventmetmyangelyet- Haha thanks! Glad you liked that, them boyz are HOT lol**

**Nutmeg17- Lol yes he will take goooood care of him ;) Awww thanks, I was a bit teary typing it!**

**Underworld's-Reject- Thank you! I love when the kick ass, Lucy better watch out before his ass gets kicked!**

"Wake up Cas! Game day!" Mulder's face was right up against Castiel's. His eyes flew open as he looked sleepy at his friend.

"Is it even time to get up?" He reached for his alarm clock, and squinted at it.

"Yup!" Mulder stretched happily. Castiel frowned at his shirt. It read 'Nematoads are people too.' Where on earth did he buy those things?

"Aaaand we are going to kick Ravenclaw's asses today."

"Confident much?"

"Psssh. Of course! We are the best team Hogwarts has ever had!"

"Says who?"

Mulder beamed. "Me." He spied at Dean who was still asleep hugging a pillow and smiling broadly with a thumb in his mouth. He whipped his cell phone out and took a picture. "You can have the joy of waking him up. I'm gonna sneak into Don's shower." Mulder unlocked the door and skipped in.

Castile shook his head and kissed Dean lightly on the corner of his mouth. Dean rolled over and beeped Castiel's nose fondly. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Oh shit. Game day huh? Let's get some food. I am starving!"

The boys wandered onto the field shouldering their brooms. Dean made a show of waving at the stands and holding his broom impressively over his head.

Gryffindor barely beat Ravenclaw. Their team was good too so it was fun to have a challenge against a team that didn't cheat to get an edge. Castiel caught the snitch in the nick of time, and even then it was still a very close game. One more game against Slytherin and the quidditch cup would be theirs.

At dinner that night the boys received a message from a scrawny owl. It collapsed on top of Dean's plate of spaghetti. Castiel eyed it. It was pale colored and obviously sick. Feathers were missing from its limp wings and an ugly colored phlegm dripped from its beak. It went still as Dean pulled the note off of its leg.

"Is it dead?" Don poked it with a fork curiously. It didn't move.

Dean looked over the note and scratched his head. He passed it to Castiel. All it said was "I'm here, come and get me."

Mulder eyed the bird. "It seems that we now know that Pestilence is in town. Must be mad we killed off his friend. I wonder where he is? Didn't really clue us in on his whereabouts."

"Probably somewhere nasty." Dean wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I mean look at the bird."

"I guess we will have to keep our eyes open for him." Castiel looked solemnly at the dead bird.

"Yeah, sicko will probably be surrounded by dead people. And dead things." Dean turned and saw Castiel look sad at the bird. Don was still poking it with eating utensils. "You ok Cas?" Castiel nodded, still staring down sadly. Dean sighed. "C'mon guys."

"Where we going? We got a game to go to."

"Won't take long. We are getting this bird properly buried." Mulder snorted pumpkin juice out of his nose at the idea of Dean holding a bird funeral. Dean got an empty shoe box under his bed as Mulder and Don picked flowers. Dean knew they were half assing this and found it to be histerical, but he couldn't stand seeing his poor little Cas look so depressed at it. Dean gently put it in the box filled with flowers and placed it in a hole he dug in the ground. Each boy took a handful of dirt and dropped it over the box as Castiel held onto Dean's arm gratefully. They stood there in semi –respectful silence, Mulder couldn't keep a straight face.

"Nice bird, sure it had a large family that loved it. Now it has returned to its home in the sky with plenty of bugs and crap for its nest. Okay, Mulder and I are leaving now." Don pulled on his Red Sox cap as Castiel looked grateful at him for being so nice about the owl. Don winked at Cas and muttered "Go get him tiger." Castiel nodded and waved as the two boys set off for their baseball game.

Castiel gripped Dean's hand. "Thank you. I know I'm just being stupid, but…thanks. That was really nice."

Dean laughed and tilted up Castiel's face as he smiled into his eyes. "No problem Cas. It's not stupid to respect life. Not something to take for granted."

Castiel kissed Dean happily. "Let's get back inside. I'm cold."

"Want me to warm you up baby?"

Castiel smiled deviously. "Actually, I do."

Dean's eyes flashed with arousal as he lifted Castiel into his arms and carried him all the way to the dorm.

Castiel fought back his nerves as Dean lightly pushed him on the bed and climbed on top of him. As things heated up, Castiel found it more and more difficult to be afraid. He trusted Dean completely and knew that we would never hurt him. Castiel leaned his head back into the pillow as Dean planted kisses all over his throat. He tangle his fingers in Dean's hair as he felt him nibble at his collar bone. He moaned loudly as Dean rubbed his arousal against his creating friction through their clothes. Dean pulled Castiel's shirt off over his head and threw it on the ground. His fingers trailed over Castiel's chest as he leaned in and took Castiel's full bottom lip into his mouth. Castiel gasped as Dean lightly nibbled as his hands explored all over Castiel's body. The angel shivered at the electricity caused by each touch of Dean's hands on him. Dean nibbled his ear.

"God I love you Cas. So much." Castiel clung onto Dean's shoulders and kissed him as fire sped through his veins.

"Dean…" Dean looked into Castiel's lust filled eyes and nearly came there. He was so gorgeous. Full mouth panting and dark hair tousled, he looked too innocent to act so dirty. Dean smiled as his kissed Castiel. And he was all his. Dean's eyes widened as Castiel rolled on top of him and pulled his shirt off. Well…maybe not so innocent. Castiel fought until he had ripped Dean's jeans off of his body. Dean cried out loudly as Castiel's fingers fit perfectly over the scar on his shoulder. Pleasure coursed through his body and he rolled on top of Castiel once again. He bit a love bite into Castiel's shoulder as he took off his pants and sat back reverently.

"Cas…you are just amazing…and beautiful…and I love you." Dean's words were broken up with the small kisses he planted all over him.

"Love you Dean." Dean smiled and rubbed the tip of his arousal against Castiel's entrance making him cry out in shocked pleasure. "Dean please!"

"Anything for you Cas." Soon the two were writhing on the bed in a tangle of sheets and each other as the climaxed together. "Fuck-Cas! I fucking love you." Castiel clung to Dean's shoulders as he kissed him lovingly. They curled up together in Dean's bed. Strangely enough, neither one of them was plagued by their usual nightmares. Just blissful sleep with the occasional fluffy dream. Don and Mulder walked in quietly wearing matching Red Sox jerseys and base ball caps. Mulder took a marker and wrote "Get Some" on Dean's forehead. They grinned at each other before getting ready for bed.

Castiel woke up nestled in the crook of Dean's arm and he fondly nuzzled his cheek with his nose. He was shocked to find that Dean felt feverish. Castiel put a hand to his forehead. Yup, definitely too warm. He gently shook Dean. "Dean…Dean? Are you ill?"

"Cas? Is that you? Yeah not feeling too hot. Must have used up all of my mojo on you last night." Dean sat up and coughed, as small spatter of blood covered his lips.

"Dean?" Castiel looked panicked. "We are going to the hospital wing now."

"Cas I'm fine, I will just sleep it off and be fine. Don't worry." He beeped his nose fondly.

"Dean, you're bleeding. Come on."

Dean gave him a weak grin. "So I sleep with you and now you nag me like a wife? Sheesh."

Castiel frowned at him. "No jokes. You are really sick."

Mulder sat up sleepily. "What's up guys? Is Dean pregnant?"

"No!" Both Dean and Castiel shouted.

Mulder looked a bit put out. "Oookaay. What's wrong?"

"Dean is sick and won't go to the nurse."

Mulder peeked at Dean. "You look like crap." Dean glared at him. "Okay a very sexy pile of crap. Better?"

"No." Dean folded his arms and pouted as Don snored loudly. Everyone turned and stared at him. He was sleeping with his butt in the air and drooling on his pillow. "I sure look better than sleeping beauty over there."

Mulder and Don each grabbed one of his arms as they marched Dean to the hospital wing.

"When did you start feeling sick?" Mulder looked curiously at Dean.

"Dunno, what are you my doctor? This morning."

Mulder nodded thoughtfully. "He left us a message."

"Who?"

"Pestilence. The bird. He must think he needs to threaten us to scare us. He took the initiative chasing us and has made the first move. We chase him and it will be like a cornered dog. We should be quiet about our chase."

"So he gave us the sick owl to get one of us to fall ill?"

"I believe so. Feathers really did us in."

Castiel kissed Dean's forehead as Dean looked worried at him. "But what about you Cas? If I got sick you should be sicker than a dog too."

Castiel frowned. "Nope. I feel fine."Castiel coughed and a trickle of blood ran down his chin.

Mulder dragged them both into the hospital wing worriedly. He looked up at Madam Pomfrey. "Fix them" before he collapsed on the floor. He reached a hand up to his mouth in shock at finding blood there.

"Mr. Mulder, please get in bed." Madame Pomfrey helped him into bed and got the others situated. She called the headmaster, fearing a pandemic was going around.

The boys were lost to their dreams, wandering a hazy path. Mulder reached out his hands dizzily and ran into Dean. "Dean? Is that you?"

"Yeah Mulder. Where are we?"

"Dunno. We just got sick and collapsed. Are we in some type of alternate reality? I hope we aren't dead."

Dean frowned. "Me too. Gotta find Cas. I don't know what will happen to that kid if we leave him alone too long."

Mulder nodded. He thought Dean's devotion to Castiel was really kind of beautiful. "Well if I got sick I would assume that Don is around here somewhere too. I hope someone found him in the dorm." He wiped away a trail of blood off of his chin.

"Yeah. I don't think we are doing so well man." He leaned against a wizened tree to catch his breath as he hacked into his hand. "Ugggh where is this son of a bitch? I wanna gut him now!"

Mulder sneezed and looked bleary at Dean. "Guess we got to find the others."

The two boys wandered around the strange foggy land. Randomly a kaleidoscope of colors would decorate the sky and the boys would sink down to the ground feeling ill and dizzy. As they walked the ground shifted under their feet and they found that there was only the road. Too often, one of the boys would find himself with his sneakers almost over the edge of the road, and nearly swoon into the blackness. It was like a sick dream become real. Dean's shoes dragged through gore and an assortment of nasty things. He threw up when he felt worms wiggling under his shoes. Mulder grabbed him by the arm and led him on as they stumbled together. Dean tripped and looked into the face of a man that looked to be long dead. He rolled away to escape from its horrifying face and tumbled over the edge. He heard Mulder shout out his name in panic.

He landed on yet another road and coughed weakly into the dust, a light spray of blood on his lips. He got up and wandered along the path as his lungs struggle for air. Dean stepped over dead bodies, the stench making him ill. Dean figured that this was the worst sick dream had ever had in his entire existence. He covered his mouth with his sleeve as he wandered along. Then he spied Castiel laying on an operation table, wrists and ankles bound and blood trickling down his chin. A thin white sheet barely covered his lower body. Dean looked over the area and saw Don and Mulder strapped down in a similar fashion. Men in white lab coats surrounded the boys as their scalpels gleamed in the pale light. Dean watched in horror as Dr. Sexy himself grasped a scalpel and began an incision in Castiel's pale skin.

"Oh no you don't! Get off him you son of a bitch!" Dean crashed into Dr. Sexy and heard a chuckle from across the table as they hit the ground. He looked up to see and old man in a pristine white lab coat smiling at him coldly from behind his glasses.

"Dean Winchester is it? Famous family of monster hunters and you get lost in your own head. It's a shame. Thought you would do better than this. Famine must have really gone off the deep end to have been beaten by you children. Didn't anyone tell you not to pet a dead bird? They are full of diseases you, know…avian flu, countless strains of influenza. Dirty birds get dirty humans like you sick."

Dean glared at him. "Stop this you smug son of a bitch!" He hacked into his hand.

Pestilence looked at him and wrote something down on his chart. "Interesting, how long have you been coughing up blood?" He placed a stethoscope to Mulder's bare chest. "Hmm…lung function depleting. Doesn't seem that you boys are going to live that much longer sorry. I prescribe…giving up." He laughed and made another note on the chart. Pestilence and Dean both looked surprised as Castiel sat up gasping for air.

"Hmm..that's our angel huh? Lovely specimen." As he studied Castiel too closely Dean snuck behind him and stole a scalpel. Pestilence turned and looked surprised as Dean cut off his ring finger with the scalpel. The finger landed on the ground as the Horseman cried out and clutched his hand as his steaming blood spilled onto the floor. The horseman howled and watched Dean pick up the rings with hatred in his eyes. "Go ahead and sneak off boys. I would like to see you die when death gets to you…you smug fools. No one bests Death…can you really expect to rob him of his ring and then trap Lucifer? Impossible…" The horseman toppled over onto a gurney. Light flashed and Dean felt dizzy again as he tumbled through too many colors and dreams.

Dean woke up in the hospital wing covered on sweat. He sat up slowly, relieved that he could breathe again. He looked around and saw his friends rubbing their eyes groggily.

Castiel blinked at him confused. "Dean? Did you just have a weird dream-"

"-That we were in a weird place with a road and hospital stuff?"

"Yeah it was super trippy!" Mulder smiled happily.

Dean stared at him. "Only you would enjoy that Mulder." He unclenched his fist and looked relieved at the ring in his palm. "Guys? Looks like our vaccinations kicked in. We got Pestilence!" He held the ring over his head as the other boys cheered. "Two more sorry sons of bitches and we put the devil back in the hole!"

Lucifer snarled at the demons groveling at his feet. "Another horseman dead? They are half way there you idiots!" He gripped one demon by the front of his shirt and threw him out the window of his castle. "We can't just let them destroy everything we worked for, can we? I will not be trapped in that hell hole again! I rebelled for a reason, and I will not go quietly. These…children are gaining too much ground. I think a little Hogwarts visit is in order. This time we will bring the horseman to them. Where is War? I believe a battle is in order." He glared coldly at the shivering demons. Find yourselves come nice vessels. Go on!" Demons fled the castle in an ugly dark cloud. The boys slept soundly, unaware of the demons preparing to rip their throats out. They were still high off of their two victories and had begun to build confidence in themselves and their mission. That confidence was about to be utterly and completely destroyed.


	17. Love Games

**Hey guys! I cannot stop writing this story lol! I seriously won't be able to get it out of my head until I crank out the last chapters :O You guys rock so much, I looooove reading your reviews, thank you!**

**Underworld's-Reject- Haha thanks! I thought it would be cool, whenever I get sick I have weird dreams and I thought it would be neat for them to defeat Pestilence there. Haha lock up your witches and wizards, demons are coming!**

**Haventmetmyangelyet- :D glad you liked the scene ;) I love me some Destiel! Thanks!**

**Nutmeg17-Just gotta say, I love your reviews, they are very fun lol! I cried too and I was the big fat meanie that did that to them :( Glad you think Lucifer is a dick, he makes me furious. He really needs a good ass kicking!**

Castiel sat in Charms chewing on the tip of a quill as he gazed outside. It was a beautiful March day. Much to Mulder's delight the Bowtruckles were once again frequenting the trees. The boys spent the little time they weren't cramming for finals or attempting to hunt down the last of the horsemen swimming in the still chilly water of the great lake, something Castiel wished he was doing instead of hanging around in the classroom. Casitel thought it was amusing that he was nervous for the final quidditch match when Lucifer was on their tail with the promise of the apocalypse. They still had two more horsemen to go, and Castiel was worried. The other two had nearly killed them and War and Death sounded much scarier. He felt better when Flitwick had them do cheering charms on each other. He laughed giddily as Dean beamed back at him and pulled him into a hug.

"All you need is looove!" Mulder sang happily as he clung on Don's neck and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

Castiel's favorite part of the lesson was when Snape walked in frowning at the chaos. Mulder couldn't help himself and cast a cheery charm on the Sour Severus. Soon Snape had one arm around Mulder and Dean's shoulders as they sang an encore of the Beatle's song. Everyone's sides hurt from laughing too much and they all practically skipped out of the classroom. Even the Slytherins had temporarily lost their usual ugly sneers. That evening Castiel sat cuddled in Dean's arms as they shared a large, squashy armchair. They hurried through their Transfiguration homework before spying through some more books, attempting to get better acquainted with the two remaining horsemen.

Castiel looked happily at Dean. "You…make me so happy. I love you Dean."

Dean ruffled his hair. "Love you more."

Mulder sank into the bath tub letting the blissfully hot water loosen the tension in his body. He closed his eyes and relaxed his head against the edge of the tub. He was exhausted. Nightmares plagued his sleep and he could almost feel the evil heat of hell already burning him. He dreamt of hell hounds tearing his body apart while he tried to escape. The day was drawing near and he still had no idea how to get himself out of this one. He had really done it this time. Not like he would ever regret his choice. Every time he saw Don's eyes crinkle into that adorable smile of his, he knew there was no way he could let him die. He would rather go to hell for eternity than lose the few precious months he had gotten to share with Don as his lover instead of just his friend. He smiled when he heard the door open and saw Don smiling softly at him. Don came over and tenderly captured his mouth with a sweet kiss.

"Hey."

Mulder smiled and played with the strings on Don's jacket. "Hey, wanna join me?"

"You bet I do." Mulder watched him slip out of his clothes smiling peacefully now as he spied at his boyfriend's perfect body.

Mulder pulled Don into the water with a splash. He sighed happily as Don pulled him into his arms and rested his head on his shoulder.

"What are you thinking about?"

Mulder leaned his head back as Don planted a soft kiss to his neck. "Hell."

"Yeah me too." He trailed his fingers down Mulder's arm. "We are going to get through this Fox."

Mulder smiled at the determination in Don's eyes. If there was a way out of his predicament, Don would find it. He leaned against him, allowing himself to hope.

Game day dawned bright and cheery. The boys skipped down the stairs. Today was the day! Today they would either come away with the Hogwarts quidditch cup or become the Slytherin's bitches. There was no way in hell they could lose this to those puffed up dicks. Castiel sat nervously next to Dean in the great hall as they held hands. He pushed his food around.

"Nervous?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry Cas, we are going to destroy those ugly sons of bitches." Castiel laughed as Dean spun him around, shocking the girls at the table. They were rather offended that the hottest guys in their entire school were too busy bro-mancing to even notice them. Even Scully was about to make a pass at Mulder, who was wearing a "foxy grandpa" hat backwards, before the boys got up and wandered off to the field.

Castiel played with his wrist braces nervously as they stood on the field. This was it, the last game of the year and he knew that if they lost it would be on his head. The team that caught the snitch was most likely the winning team, but he was glad that their chasers were so good.

"Got your lucky underwear on?" Mulder clapped Castiel on the shoulder.

Castiel laughed. "Seriously, lucky underwear?" Mulder nodded and pulled down the back of his pants slightly, showing off boxers with tiny alien spaceships on them and "I want to believe" on the top. Castiel shook his head. "Only you Mulder." He looked down and saw Mulder had also doodled the quidditch cup on his sneakers. He swallowed. Mulder really believed they were going to win. He figured that he'd better up his game today.

Castiel walked over to where Dean and Don were having a push up contest. He sat on Dean's back and stifled a giggle with his hand when he heard Dean grunt under the weight and keep going. Dean collapsed on the ground and rolled on top of Castiel.

"Hey beautiful." Castiel laughed as Dean planted sloppy kisses all over his face. He tried to push him off as Dean attempted to smother him with kisses.

"In a celebratory mood already?" Uriel glowered at the Gryffindors.

"Yeah, what's your point you ugly son of a bitch?"

Uriel smiled condescendingly at him. "You'll see." He went back to his team and they all shared ugly smirks.

"Sorry son of a bitch. He's gonna be pretty embarrassed when we destroy him out on that field!" The others nodded, still a bit concerned at the Slytherin's attitude. Sam gave them hugs happily, wearing one of Gabriel's Dave Chappel t-shirts. Dean looked a bit sick at him.

"Seriously Sammy?" He quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Shut up."

"Bitch."

"Jerk." The brothers pounded fists smiling.

A large black dog came bounding over with Lupin. He put his boys on each boy and gave them a slobbery dog kiss.

"Gross! Stop it snuffles!" Dean pushed him away laughing.

Lupin grinned at them and pet Sirius on the head. "Sit." Sirius rolled over instead, making the boys laugh. "So, last game of the year, huh?"

Castiel smiled. "Mmhhm."

Lupin grinned. "Well, go Gryffindor!" Sirius barked excitedly. They then saw the red and gold bandana he was sporting and Lupin's similarly colored scarf.

Madame Hooch came over. "You boys ready?" The nodded as Lupin gave them a wink and wandered off with Sirius nipping at the backs of his legs. "Mount your brooms." She eyed Mulder who was currently balancing a lady bug on his tongue for luck. "Mount the broomstick."

Mulder grinned and yelled "That's what she said!"

Hooch blinked, not getting the joke and told the Slytherins to get into formation. Dean gripped Uriel's hand and glared into his eyes. And with that they were off. Most of the school was out in the stadiums watching as Jo scored the first points of the game and Castiel and Gordon searched the skies for the golden snitch. Demons simply walked through the doors to the castle. As the first round of cheers started around the stadium, the demons crept into the halls. A bludger nearly took Dean's head off as some of the demons smoked into new meat suits. They waited while Castiel's fingers met the coldness of the golden snitch.

Castiel held his hand up in victory as the crowd cheered wildly. The team sank to the ground and pulled Castiel into a many-personed hug. He grinned as they raise him above their shoulders and he held up the cup gleaming in the sunlight. Gryffindors cheered and came pouring out of the stands to hug their winning team. Castiel hugged Lupin happily as Sirius ran around them in circles. Person after person enveloped Castiel in a tight hug as he felt tears stinging his eyes: never in his life had he been accepted and loved by so many people.

Ash smiled around at everyone. "You all know what this means? PAAAAAAARTAAAY!" The Gryffindor's cheered.

That night the entire Gryffindor team, Gabriel, Sam, and Ash held a bonfire by the side of the lake. Everything started out nice and G-rated as everyone sipped their booze and crammed their faces as Dean played Led Zepplin on his acoustic guitar. Then they started up a game of truth or dare. Everyone sat around the fire as they continued to get smashed.

Gabriel hiccupped and started off the game. "I dare Sam to take off everything but his boxers and stay like that the rest of the game." Dean looked away horrified as his brother actually did a strip tease for his smiling boyfriend.

"Think I'm going to be sick Cas." Castiel laughed, Dean was such a drama queen sometimes.

"Me too, how gross is it that our brothers are dating?"

"Super freakin' gross Cas. Uggghh."

Mulder grinned. "I dare David to talk like Eddie Murphy the rest of the night." Everyone grinned, David did the best Donkey from _Shrek _impersonation in the entire world.

David sipped his beer. "I dare Liz and Jo to flash us."

Jo looked pissed. "No way you dicks! Give me a cooler dare. I would rather eat dragon dung!" As she went on about women's pride, Liz got up and flashed the crowd with a wink to a chorus of wolf whistles. She winked at Don before sitting down as he looked away. Ex-girlfriends flashing you was just awkward, especially if you were currently dating a dude. Jo pulled Liz away from the party, still feeling offended. She was in a real mood to cap some bitches, so they let her leave without complaint.

Gabriel grinned at Mulder and Don. "I dare you guys to put on a hot show for us." It was no secret that those two were an item. Everyone looked curious as Don and Mulder whispered at each other, occasionally peeking at Castiel.

Castiel looked nervous as his two friends slowly came over to him smirking. He watched them with impossibly wide eyes when they snuggled on either side of his body. A shiver ran through his body when he first felt their soft mouths on either side of his neck. He felt Mulder's teeth nibble at his ear as Don left an impressive hickey on the other side. He looked at Dean, expecting furry and was surprised to see him leaning forward, eyes dark with arousal. Now he began to respond to each kiss and caress, exposing his neck to Mulder as he captured Don's bottom lip in his mouth, keeping his eyes on Dean the entire time. Castiel let Mulder take off his shirt and closed his eyes as he let his wings flutter into view. He knew that Dean LOVED them. He arched his back as he felt hands tangle into the soft feathers and slide over the sensitive area that connected them to his body. Castiel's eyes widened in shock as the other two each slipped a hand into his boxers. Dean stared obsessively at his partially open mouth as he succumbed to the pleasure completely, no longer biting back his loud cries of pleasure. He no longer knew who he was kissing, only that everything was happening so fast. Soon Castiel came and sank back into their arms, still in too much shock to completely realize what he had just done. The other two kissed him on either cheek looking smug. They high-fived.

"You guys suck, had to bring my bro into the picture to ruin it for me?" Gabriel shook his head in defeat as the others looked in shock.

Mulder smiled at Dean. "Enjoy the show?"

"Shit, hell yes I did you dirty bastards . Nice work. But now I need to borrow Cas." He scooped up the angel and carried him upstairs to a chorus of 'get some.'

As the night deepened, the four boys sat on the roof of the west tower, looking out over the dark forest. Castiel sat on the very edge of the roof with Dean behind him, arms wrapped tightly around the angel's waist. He absent-mindedly ran his fingers through the soft feathers of Castiel's wings. Castiel closed his eyes and hummed happily.

Dean smiled fondly at him. "Cas, how did I get so lucky to land you?"

Castiel stared into his eyes and tiled his head to the side in thought. "I would have said the same thing about you."

"Seriously? Really? You're serious?" Castiel nodded solemnly as Dean went back to gazing out at the tree tops. "I'm nothing special Cas. Kind of a screw up all around. But I want to do better. For you."

Castiel gave him a loving smile and cupped his cheek in one hand. "I don't think you could do better than you already do. Dean, you are perfect in every sense of the word."

Dean scoffed, a bit embarrassed and pleased. "Nah."

Castiel looked at him, unblinking serious face in place. "Yes you are Dean. You are brave and good. You always put others before yourself."

"I'm not that brave Cas. Half the time I'm scared shitless and I call Sammy the bitch."

Castiel put a hand on his shoulder. "That makes your bravery even more impressive."

"God Cas. I love you so much." Dean kissed him softly on the mouth as Mulder came running out of the tower breathless.

"Jeeze Mulder, calm down."

Mulder put his hands on his knees panting. Don was shocked to see a nasty gash above his left eye.

"What's up man?"

Mulder helped up one finger and caught his breath. "Demons..in..the…castle."

Dean leaned in. "Demons?"

Mulder nodded. "Yeah. They are attacking us. The Slytherins are helping. It's chaos in there."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's get our asses moving." Dean was unsure what he was running into, but he was afraid of what he might find. He hardened his resolve as the boys hurried into the castle.


	18. Through the Looking Glass

**Howdy y'all! Thanks for the reviews. Your prize is… the next chapter whoohooo!**

**Underworld's-Reject-Haha thanks! Just wait, poor guy is running out of time!**

**Haventmetmyangelyet- Your comment made me crack up! Haha looooved the wolf whistle! Whoohoo!**

**Nutmeg17- Oh no! Yeah I sure took the cheer out, even from Christmas. Poor boys! I love that you like Lucifer lol he needs to get back in the box before he does anything too mean!**

The boys sped into the castle and were met with the sound of absolute chaos. Castiel looked nervously at Dean before they hurried down the stairs. The upper half of the castle was mostly empty of people and they only saw the occasional first year trying to call their parents, crying. They made their way into the underbelly of the castle where the noise was the greatest. Things were being knocked over and spells were flying in every direction. The worst part was that it was difficult to tell who was a demon who was a human in the midst of the destruction. If their eyes weren't entirely encompassed by darkness, then they were most likely the ones attacking innocent students in the corridor. Castiel was horrified to see a demon sneaking behind Sam. He whipped out his wand. "Stupefy!" and with that the demon stood there, dazed.

"Hey, how are you boys doing?" Lupin fought his way over to them bashing a ginger demon's head into the wall.

"Lupin! What's going on?"

Lupin looked stressed. "Demons snuck into the castle. I think they must have done it during the quidditch match, most of the school was empty then. I believe that they waited in the castle disguised as humans until they could surprise us when the castle was asleep. We already have a few causalities and many more injured." He knocked two demons head together. "I think some students are possessed too, be careful but not too careful. We can't lose you guys, no one else can seal away Lucifer. Get Castiel somewhere safe." He squeezed Castiel's hand and whispered "Try not to use your powers, they are looking for you. Wands only this battle." Castiel nodded and squeezed his hand back.

"Come to join the partaaay?" Sirius grinned at them as he shot a demon with a stream of holy water from his wand.

"Yeah, saved us some action?" Dean grinned back.

"Hellz yeah, otherwise we wouldn't still have demons to fight, I would have destroyed all of them by now!"

Castiel looked relived when Don made his way over but looked worried when he saw him hold a hand to his ribs with one hand and steering Charlie around with the other. "Are you injured Don?"

"Nah, it's nothing, couple of smashed ribs I think." Castiel looked more worried." You guys alright?"

"Yeah. Let's beat some sons of bitches!" Dean looked eager for a fight. He would rather be face to face with his enemy than sit around waiting for the battle to come to him on his enemy's terms.

"Stay safe Dean." Castiel looked at him solemnly. "I know you like to fight, but please don't get yourself hurt. I can't lose you."

Dean kissed him fiercely on the mouth. "Okay, only if you do the same Cas. Don't worry about me, worry about you." Castiel smiled before a look of determination crossed his face. He sprayed demon after demon with his wand. Some recovered, others temporarily abandoned their meat suits. Bobby Singer pushed his way through the crowd.

"Bobby, what's up my bff?"

Bobby glared at Dean. "Cool it igit. Came over because Remus told me the castle was under attack." He looked tired. "Still can't find Jo. Called her cell phone a million times. Have you seen her?"

Castiel frowned. "Not for hours. I'm sorry Bobby." He gave him a quick hug before blasting another demon. It was getting more and more tempting to bust out his angel mojo, but he knew Lupin was right.

"War is here."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Obviously. Crazy shit is going down, lot's of fighting. No one ever said you were a genius."

Bobby looked furious at Dean. "I know that you igit! I'm taking about the horseman of the apocalypse. Have you forgotten about them?"

Dean looked grumpy. "No." He showed off Pestilence's ring on his finger and the emerald shone in the fire light. "Cas still has his too." Castiel held up his hand, flashing the ring. "Now that War is here, we are gonna make it three!"

Bobby shook his head at him. "Be careful you igit. War loves this gore. He we do whatever he can to keep up the fighting, not enough bloodshed has happened yet. Don't lose the angel."

"Got it Bobby. Any more sagely advice?"

"Just keep yourselves alive. You've got to get that ring. Go on!" Dean nodded.

Don pushed Charlie over to Bobby. "Keep an eye on him, please?" Bobby nodded. Of course. And I will look out for Sam. Don't worry about your brothers, kill that horseman!"

Castiel scanned the crowd with slightly narrowed eyes. He looked around the crowd for a minute before closing his eyes. "Found him."

Mulder eyed him curiously. "Really? Cas, you seem to have talents you don't even know you have! You are super cool!"

Castiel gave him a quick smile before starting off into the crowd, his friends close behind him. "There, that 's him. The old man."

Dean stared at the man. "How has no one else seen him? He obviously isn't from the castle."

War smiled at the boys. "So, you must be the fantastic four, huh? I've heard much about you. I can cloak myself from unworthy eyes. Killing two horseman is very impressive for four teenage boys to accomplish. I was very eager to make you're acquaintance." He eyed each of them closely. "Now that I have met you I m not so impressed. Little sniveling children killed off two of our members? I can hardly believe it. What's your secret? Got an angel on your shoulder?"

Demons clawed desperately at the boys and they fought them off. The horseman watched, interested. The demons soon had each boy with his arms trapped behind his back. Dean's nose was bleeding freely and the cut had reopened above Mulder's eye.

"So, not so tough are you know?"

Dean grimaced. "Well neither are you sweet cheeks. Looks like you need your demons to do your dirty work."

War narrowed his eyes. "Do not talk to me like that," he hissed. "I have killed so many of your kind. You owe me some respect."

Mulder smiled at him as he blinked blood out of his eyes. "Actually Pestilence has you beat. It is often illness that kills more soldiers than the weapons used. Aaaand we already beat him."

War looked furious as Dean looked smug at him. "Yeah, you must just be a walk in the park compared to him and Famine."

"Enough of this!" War's nostrils flared. "I will not have insignificant children speak to me in such a manner. This battle will continue on and you will lose your precious friends and family. They will die because of me, ripped too soon from their earthly shells. Then you will see the power I hold over this earth. You will finally understand that the reason why peace is impossible is due to your own blood thirsty ways. Men love to kill, it is their nature. I will live forever off of your spoilt bodies."

"First off, that's nasty. Second, we are gonna gank you, so are those your last words?"

War snarled and the demon holding Dean began to strangle him. Dean held onto the demon's forearms, attempting to pull out of the death grip. Don's eyes narrowed and he kicked the demon holding him in the groin. The demon fell over in shock as Don ripped the demon off of Dean. Dean lay there gasping and clutching at his throat as air began to return to the starved passages of his lungs.

"Dean, the knife!" Dean nodded to his left pocket. Don snatched the knife and came towards War.

"Do you really think that you can kill me? You? " The horseman titled his head back as he laughed. Castiel gripped Don's wrist and in a second they were right in front of War. His eyes widened at the cold expression on Don's face as he slit the horseman's throat open in one swipe. He cut the finger off of him and snatched the ring.

Dean eyed him. "Uuuh. Don? You can have that one." Don nodded and high fived Cas as he slipped the ring onto his finger.

Castiel frowned when he saw that the chaos was continuing even with the horseman dead. "It seems he really was inefficient."

Dean laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Right-o Cas. C'mon we gotta get you somewhere away from all these demons. It's not safe here."

Castiel nodded. The boys fought their way through the crowd, watching in horror as a demon threw Chuck's limp body to the ground. Castiel automatically tried to go over to check on him but Dean dragged him into the corridor. The boys looked surprised when they ran into both Ruby and Azazel.

"Hey there boys, long time no see." He smiled at Mulder and Don. "And you boys are looking much better." He slid a tongue over his lips. "Wouldn't mind a taste of that sweet flesh of yours Eppes." His smile grew wider as Don went pale.

Dean looked unmoved at him, attempting to conceal his fear. "What do you want, you evil son of a bitch? We are kind busy here you asshole, if you can't tell. Just ganked War."

Azazel let a brief flash of worry cross his features. Wasting no time, Mulder waved his wand as Castiel did the same.

"Petrificus totalus!" One spell and the two demons were completely frozen. The boys used this opportunity to bolt down the corridor.

Dean peeked around the corner. "Shit, more demons!" Castiel nodded to a room on their right and the boys sped in, locking the door.

A lanky pale man sat on a desk, the only furnishing in the mirror besides a mirror in the corner. He eyed them looking uninterested.

"Are you boys lost? I would point you in the right direction, if you want. Even though it really isn't based on what you want, I would guess. Trivial things that never last, like wealth and wisdom, even love. Only death is permanent. Shows how important your problems really are doesn't it?"

Dean glared. "What makes you so important, you puffed up dick?"

The dark haired man looked him over apathetically. "Because I am permanent." He twirled an amethyst ring on his finger. "Death destroys kings, breaks down the body of the strongest warrior. It does not matter in the end what you accomplish. In the end, you will be mine."

Mulder looked at him curiously. "The final horseman. Death. I would like to say I am pleased to meet you, but your timing is a little early."

Death nodded at Mulder. "Smart child. But that mind is what has brought me here. You made a deal, so I believe I am right on time. Listen to the wind boy. What do you here among its whispers?" He watched as Mulder closed his eyes listening.

Mulder's eyes widened in horror. "The hell hounds!" He put a hand on the wall to steady himself.

Death nodded, impassive. "Yes, the hounds are coming for you. You have promised something to hell without realizing its worth." He trailed a long, pale finger over Mulder's face. "To you eternal damnation means little. Wait until the years catch up to you. You will be trapped in your own ruined body as the never ending flames devour you. I am old, it is eternity is part of my past. But to one so young as you, eternity hasn't even begun." Tears began to run down Mulder's face as his heart raced in his chest.

"That's it!" Dean pulled out the knife and made his way towards Death.

Death looked at Dean, unimpressed. "Do you really think you can kill me with that thing? You children really have not seen enough. Try it." Dean stood there glowering at him. "That's better, being so hasty will get you nowhere, time is the greatest of killers. It should be respected, not wasted."

Castiel peeked shyly at the horseman. "May we please use your ring? It is essential to trapping Lucifer back in the box."

Death eyed him with a slight smile. "Adorable. You must be the angel." He looked around at the boys. "Lucky for you, I have a quarrel with this Lucifer. His spell has put a leash on me and too many are dying at the wrong time. The reapers are in distress. I will give you my ring." He held it out to Mulder. "But if you fail, all of your souls will be mine, understand?"

Dean nodded without even considering it. "Deal."

Death frowned as he slipped the ring onto Mulder's finger. "Just what I have been saying. With this hasty attitude you will see my face too soon. And I do not want to see you for a few years." He got up and slowly walked around, looking them over. He then vanished without a trace.

"What a weird dude. Guess you gotta be freaky if all you do all day is hang with dead guys." Dean's eyes widened as the door burst open and Ruby and Azazel came in.

"Get the angel!" Azazel snarled at Ruby. She gripped a handful of the angel's feathers, making him cry out in pain. Castiel wrestled with her as she fell back. The both fell through the mirror and disappeared.

Dean looked furious. "Cas!" He glared at Azazel. "Get out of here before I kill you son of a bitch!" The demon smiled as more demons poured into the room. The boys hardly had time to attempt to reach the mirror as the demons attacked them. Azazel knocked over the desk and it landed on Dean's leg with a sickening crack.

"Dean, are you alright?" Mulder attempted to fight through the crowd of demons to get to him.

"The mirror!" He winced. "Go through the mirror!"

"Not without you!" Don fought his way over and they dragged Dean over towards the mirror. A demon hit Don in his already broken ribs and he let go of Dean with a gasp. He was nearly lost in the crowd, but pushed forward and tumbled into the mirror along with the other two boys.

"I have brought him to you my lord! The angel! I have the angel!" Ruby nearly danced with glee as she dragged Castiel into the castle, keeping a tight grip on his feathers.

Lucifer smiled at Castiel and tossed back his golden hair. His eyes narrowed at Ruby. "Release him! Get your filthy paws off of his beautiful wings." Ruby released him and he fell to his knees. He looked curious at the angel in front of him.

"Castiel. It is good to finally meet you. I have been watching you for a long time, my pretty brother." Lucifer walked over and tilted Castiel's chin up. He gazed into startled blue eyes. "Yes, you are very beautiful. I do not regret my decision to keep you alive." He ran his fingers through Castiel's tousled hair. "If I simply kill the others, the spell will not work. No sacrifice, no need for angel blood."

Castiel glared at him and pushed his hands away. "You will not touch them."

Lucifer pet his hair. "But I need to, Love. There isn't another way. They live and they will simply seal me away. Not very nice of all of you."

"You are evil and I will do everything to put you back in your box. I swear it to God."

Lucifer snarled at him, now pulling Castiel's hair. "God?" He sneered." God? Our father who created us only to abandon us? We were his favorites, heaven was for us. Then he made his cheap side projects: humans. Sniveling weak cowards, a mockery to us. And they are his favorites! I rebelled because I loved him and hated what he did."

"You are just as evil as humans I have seen and below the ones I truly know. Let me go, I do not wish to consort with you." Castiel turned away coldly and gasped when he felt Lucifer's fingers circle around his wrist. Lucifer smacked Castiel in the face and he fell to the ground in shock.

Lucifer pulled Castiel's face up to his own as his lips crashed over the dark haired angel's. Castiel struggled as he felt the fallen angel's hands begin to explore his body. Unwanted fingers slipped from his hair and down his shoulders. Castiel fought violently as Lucifer stroked the area where his wings attached to his pale skin.

"Stop it!" Castiel tried to push him off, only making the angel smile.

"No, you are mine now Castiel. Do not forget it." He picked up the squirming Castiel. "Now let's go somewhere private to…get to know each other a bit better." Castiel's eyes widened in terror as his frightened mind called out desperately for Dean.

Don woke up with Mulder's butt in his face. He pushed him weakly to make sure he was alive. Mulder stretched and peeked at Dean. "Hey, how's the leg?"

"Feels just peachy." Mulder shook his head with a grin. That was Dean for you. He took out his wand and touched it to Dean's leg, muttering something. Dean looked down surprised at his neatly bound leg. He gingerly got up on it wincing. The brace kept him on his feet but it sure felt like hell to do so and he could only hobble around.

"Thanks Mulder."

Mulder nodded as he pulled Don to his feet and lightly kissed him as Dean stared at the castle. "Are you okay Don?"

"Yean, don't worry Foxy." He kissed him on the cheek and looked worried at the nasty cut above his eye as Mulder gently trailed his hands over Don's broken ribs. Don bit his lip looking pained and then sighed. "Once this is over, no more nasty injuries, no more battles, nothing we don't want. We can get through this Fox. And when we do, I want to spend forever with you." Mulder giggled and kissed him as Dean pretended to throw up.

"You two done macking? Not fair if I can't have my boyfriend, c'mon." The boys stood in front of the castle knowing that their friend was somewhere inside its vast walls, hopefully still alive. They shuddered as they heard the fell voices of bloodthirsty hounds in the wind. Mulder's eyes widened and he gripped Don's hand fearfully. The boys eyed the castle but went in quickly figuring they had to get to Cas before someone else did and before the hounds of hell got Mulder.


	19. You Can Find Your Own Way

**Hey gang! Sorry I've been taking longer to post, it has been a busy week! A big fat thank you to all my wonderful reviewers, thank you guys for sticking with it!**

**Underworld's-Reject- Haha I like that people like Lucifer, even if he is so twisted lol Thank you so much for the review, I am a bad egg for taking so long to post lol**

**Haventmetmyangelyet- Thanks :) Lucifer is a big fat meenie!**

"Castiel." Castiel shivered as he heard his name murmured by the fallen angel. "I have waited for you for so long." His fingers tangled in the soft white feathers of Castiel's wings as he smiled at him. Castiel glared, this angel was absolutely mad.

"What, you have waited for me to come and kill you?" Castiel attempted to pull away as Lucifer kissed his lower lip gently. He untangled his legs from the other angel and attempted to break free of the burning rope on his wrists.

He watched the angel's eyes narrow. "Don't you see it Castiel? You aren't like the other angels, you don't even remember how to act like one." He tilted up Castiel's face to smile into his eyes. "You have forgotten how to be cold and distant, yet you are a perfect being. You also don't need to be so horribly human. You don't need them."

"What and trade them for you!" Castiel looked at him with tears of fury in his eyes. "I wanted to seal you back in the hole before I met you, and now I know that it is not a mistake. You are evil and have hurt me in the little time I have gotten to know you. Don't you dare touch me again!"

Lucifer attempted to keep his features calm. "You will love me Castiel, I swear it. No one can resist me."

Castiel practically snarled "Try me."

Lucifer looked at him with wrath blazing in his eyes. "I think I will." Nails dug into the soft flesh of Castiel's hips as Lucifer attacked him with his mouth. Castiel felt tears rolling down his face as he attempted to pull away. He closed his eyes. "_Dean, where are you?_"

The castle was beautiful. Wide window let in plenty of sunlight and the entire place was very clean. Dean didn't think that it looked like an evil dick lived there. He had been expecting dust and out dated furniture. Dean hobbled into the room, leaning into both of his friends.

"How are we going to find Cas in this place? It's freakin' huge!" Dean looked around them frantically, unsure where to start.

Mulder clapped him on the back. "Don't worry Dean, we'll find Cas." Dean nodded as he bit his lip. He took a step towards one of the multitudes of staircases when he heard Mulder whimper in fear.

Don gripped Mulder's arm. "What is it?"

Mulder's eyes were wide with terror and he whispered "They're here."

Dean looked confused at Don, who shrugged. "What is it Fox?"

Mulder grasped each of them by the arm and dragged them towards the heavy doors in the far end of the room. "Run, hell hounds!"

Dean muttered "Can't see shit" but hobbled along as fast as he could on his injured leg. Mulder let out a gasp and the other two watched in horror as long scratches tore over Mulder's chest.

"Where are they Mulder?" Dean swatted at beasts he simply could not see.

"Behind you Dean!" Mulder got knocked over by one as he tried to fight their angry teeth.

Don grasped him by the back of the shirt and hauled him through the doors as Dean barely slammed them shut.

"What the hell, so we can't even see the fuckers?" Dean looked furious as he bolted the door.

"I can." Mulder winced as Don looked over the damage. "Don't worry, Don, its not as bad as it looks. Although I don't mind you keeping your hands on me…"

"Damn it Fox, this isn't the time." Don narrowed his eyes at the door. "Why are they so quiet?"

Dean and Mulder glanced at the door. "Yeah, I would have thought that they would be ripping into that door by now, freakin' weird shit is going down." Dean slowly made his way into the center of the room and looked down at a sigil etched into the floor. "I have a weird feeling about this place."

Mulder nodded. "Something does feel rather off about it." He walked over to an ornate music stand and found a book upon it. "Hey guys, this is the book Cas got from Bobby." He looked surprised at it as he flipped through the pages, finding pictures that were not part of the other book. His eyes widened as he saw an angel falling to earth, the swamps of sadness, hell hounds, the horsemen. Every single adventure they had was depicted in the book. He was about to see if there were future pages to go off of when he heard strange music coming down the hallway adjacent to the heavy doors.

"Let's go check it out." The others nodded as Dean carefully made his way towards the hallway. The music grew louder, some strange type of chamber music. Dean glared at the walls and the pictures of angels that covered the wall, all of them containing a certain blond angel. "Sicko, who would want to look at his ugly mug besides having it plastered everywhere?"

Mulder laughed as Dean glared a painting down. "Dean, let's go fight the real one, shall we?" Dean nodded, still muttering angry words about the self absorbed angel.

They came into a room lit with candle light. Most of the room was filled with a gigantic wooden table and chairs, it looked like a very large banquet hall. Food was already piled upon the tables and a young girl could be seen at the end of the table, curly brown hair tumbling down her back. As she turned and smiled at them Mulder gripped Don's arm so he wouldn't pass out.

"Samantha?"

The girl wrinkled her nose cutely as she laughed. "Is that really you Fox?"

Mulder blinked back tears of happiness as he lifted his sister out of her chair and spun her around. "Can't believe it's you. Is it really you Samantha?"

"Of course Fox!" Samantha laughed. "I missed you so much!"

"Me too Sam. How long have you been here?" He brushed the hair out of his sister's eyes as she grinned at him. "You look the exact same as…that night."

"I think I have been here the entire time. We don't age here Fox, it's wonderful!"

Mulder frowned. "So you are happy here…with him?"

"The pretty angel? Of course!" Mulder looked ill. "He is my best friend. He is my big brother."

"No, he is not!" Mulder gripped her wrists and stared into her eyes. "Sam, he is evil. He isn't your brother!" He looked away as he felt tears gathering at his eyes.

"Don't worry Fox. I love you too. And I'm sure Lucifer will love you!" She smiled all around. "All of you! Who are your friends Fox?" She giggled. "They are both so cute!"

"This is Dean Winchester" Samantha eyed the leg brace "and Don Eppes. He's my boyfriend."

Don smile at him, happy to see that Mulder was in no way embarrassed about their relationship, even with his favorite person. Samantha walked over smiling and put her hand on Don's chest. "Have you been taking good care of my brother?" Don nodded, confused, as her hand moved to his ribs. He backed away with a cry of pain. "What happened to you boys? Lucifer said that he would take good care of you if you ever came here."

Dean looked impatient. "Okay, I know this is your sister Mulder, but can we just bring her with us? We need t find Cas. He's probably in trouble. Old Lucy knows about our plan to put him back in the box!"

Samantha clung on Mulder's arm. "Where are you going Fox? Please don't leave!"

Mulder hugged her. "Don't worry Sam. You can come with us. Will never let you go."

Samantha clung onto Mulder and buried her face in his chest. "You didn't last time."

"I-I'm so sorry Samantha!" Mulder sobbed.

Samantha pet his hair. "Don't worry Fox. I forgive you." She glanced at the other boys and leaned in. "Just stay here with me Fox. We can have tea parties again. Just us, like it once was."

Mulder opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. He looked over at Don and back at Samantha as he saw a dark shape prowling in the corridor.

"Shit, hell hounds! Back in the other room. Come on!" Mulder grasped Samantha's wrist and dragged her towards the hallway they came from.

"Fox, that hurts! Let go! I don't want to leave." Samantha pulled away and ran through a different doorway as Mulder stood there and bit his lip as he started to run after her.

"Fox, come on! They're after you, Samantha will be fine!" Don gripped his arm. Mulder struggled elbowed him.

"Don please let me go!" Mulder struggled until Dean conked Mulder over the head and together they dragged him into the room and bolted the door as hell hounds clicked their nails against the floor tiles outside the door.

"Sorry about hitting your boyfriend. I know I would be pissed if someone did something to Cas."

Don gave him a tired smile. "Nah, I was just about to do the same thing. There was no way he was going to come willingly."

Dean nodded. "What was up with her anyway? She seemed kinda weird. Maybe crazy runs in the family?"

"Not sure. If she has been stuck here for years, maybe she was brain washed?"

"Who knows with that dick of an angel. Can't wait to get him canned."

"Yeah. Here, you keep an eye on my man and I'll go get yours. Doesn't look like you'll get very far on that leg…and there is a lot of stairs on here."

Dean nodded. "Okay. Remember, I am trusting you to save MY angel. That's no small feat."

Don punched him in the shoulder grinning. "And I'm asking you to baby sit Mulder. I don't even know if I could trust myself to keep him in one place."

"And one piece." Dean gripped his hand. "Be careful out there man, this place is full of weird shit."

"No worries Dean. Just don't let Mulder open that door when I'm gone."

Dean nodded as Don helped him get in a comfortable sitting position with Mulder's head propped up on his shoulder. He left and carefully closed the door behind him.

"Dean?"

"Hey, what's up loser? How you doin'?"

Mulder smiled. "Better." He put a hand to his aching head and frowned at the blood on his fingers. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but thanks man."

Dean nodded. "Anytime you go crazy, I got your back."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Mulder twisted the ring on his finger impatiently. "Where's Don?"

Dean stretched out his legs, wincing as the broken one shot up with pain. "He's looking for Cas."

Mulder eyed him. "You wish you could go get him."

"Yeah, but having me hobble around would just waste time. He's been trapped here for as long as we have. I don't even know how long that is!" He hit the floor with his fist, angry at his own helplessness.

"Cas will just be grateful to be saved. I'm sure he knows that you are doing everything you can to save him, Dean."

Dean tried to get up. "Not really, I should be helping Don, not sitting around waiting."

Mulder glanced at him. "You were left to keep an eye on me, weren't you?"

"Yup, that's what I get for being friends with a chuckle head like you." Dean grinned at him.

Mulder grinned back. "You are starting to sound like Bobby."

Dean shook his head. "Heaven forbid. No, screw heaven. Cas and Lucy can't be the only angels out there, why aren't they showing off their feathered asses here?" He looked from his wounded body to Mulder's. "We could use a little help here."

"I don't know, I think we have gotten plenty of hints that it is up to us to finish him off."

Dean rolled his eyes. "What, like destiny?"

"Well…I do believe we can choose our fates, but I think we sure got a push in this direction. It's always about us. Four horsemen, four rings, the picture in the book."

"How can anyone think we can pull this off? We almost die every time something is thrown at us. We never get out without a scratch and I'm getting tired of it. How can we save the world?" He looked down at his ring and twisted it off before throwing it violently. "We are just kids Mulder! And Cas maybe an angel but he can be dumb sometimes. He only knows how to fly and occasionally scratches up something in battle. How is he supposed to put a freakin' powerful angel back in the box? How Mulder? I just can't see us wining."

Mulder nodded. I know it's terrifying Dean, I'm scared too. I know that above all you are afraid of losing Cas." He looked pleading into his eyes. "But we have got to try Dean. We killed four horsemen. We have the four rings, and now we are here. If someone would have told me about this last year, I would have laughed at them. We are kids Dean, but even older people than us screw up."

Dean looked over at his friend, some of the despair gone from his eyes. "Do you really think we have a shot?"

"Hell yeah we have a shot Dean!"

Dean smiled. "And that is why everyone thinks you're crazy, Mulder. Yup we are the freakin' Power Rangers."

Mulder slowly got up and made his way to the center of the room.

"Not running away are you?"

Mulder laughed. "No, I'm sure Samantha is safe. We can kill Lucifer and then I'll get her. Come over here and get a look at this."

Dean stared at him and Mulder shook his head. "Oh yeah, I forgot you were a gimp." He went over and helped Dean up from the ground over to the center of the floor where colors of the sigil were beginning to bleed out from the band of the ring. Mulder picked up the ring and the colors vanished.

Dean grinned at him. "Looks like we just found the devil hole."

Castiel pulled away as Lucifer stroked his cheek. Lucifer gripped his hand and frowned at the small ring encircling one of his fingers.

"What is this?"

Castiel looked at him coldly. "I think you already know."

"One of my horcruxes? Wait…how many rings do you have?" Castiel looked out the window and didn't respond.

Lucifer shook him violently. "How many horcruxes? The horsemen you idiot, how many have you killed."

Castiel eyed him steadily, attempting to seem strong and cool, even after his young body had been abused. "Enough to get you put away."

Lucifer's eyes flashed and he smacked Castiel in the face. Castiel spit out blood as he tried to keep his eyes focused. Lucifer got out of bed quickly and slipped on some robes. "Don't you try doing anything to escape. You will never be free again, so you might as well get used to living here." He kissed Castiel on the cheek. "I love you." Lucifer spread his wings and left to track down the other boys and their rings. Castiel fought the ropes, holding back a whimper as the rope chaffed his wrists. He had to get out of here, Lucifer was even more messed up than they had even imagined.


	20. Blood Vessel

**Hey gang! Whoohoo I am back on track for posting lol! Thank you to my two awesome reviewers, Haventmetmyangelyet and Underworld's-Reject for reviewing each chapter, you are both bitchin' to the max!**

**Underworld's-Reject- Aww thanks, now Cas will feel better! Haha you people and Lucifer lol! "Oh noes… the hell hounds "= lols!**

**Haventmetmyangelyet- Yeah, he is a total jerk face, no wonder he got locked up! **

Don made his way through a poorly lit hallway knocking every door open in his search for Castiel. His body ached and he knew that his bruised side probably looked as ugly as it felt. He pushed open a door and was relieved to see the angel amid the pile of silk sheets on the bed looking small and pale. "Cas, are you alright?" Don stumbled over with a hand over his ribs wincing.

"Don?" Castiel eyed him weakly.

Don smiled gently at him. "Hey buddy. Man I was worried about you!" He squeezed Castiel's hand. He untied Castiel's wrist from the bed post and looked concerned at Castiel's hurt and naked body. "What happened, are you alright?"

Castiel ran a hand through his hair as he slowly sat up and felt tremors of pain rack his body. Castiel gasped out a desperate sob and clung on to Don.

"Cas?" Don looked at him worriedly as held his friend to his chest. "What the hell did they do to you?" His eyes flashed."

"Can't talk about it now. Don't…want to think about anything." Don looked into Castiel's eyes and was horrified to see the pain behind them. His beautiful eyes looked exhausted and Don could tell that he had been crying until he no longer could. Castiel stared back and looked worried. "Where's Dean?"

"With Mulder. He's hurt pretty bad." Castiel's eyes widened. "He hurt his leg and can't walk."

"I need to see him. Now, please Don?"

"Yeah. Of course. I just came to get you and go. Can you stand?" He held out both his hands to him.

Castiel nodded and took his hands. "Yeah, I think so." He stood unsteadily and tightly held on to Don's hands. He swayed and took a few shaky steps. His knees trembled as he attempted to take another. Don sat him back down on the bed. "Need to find you some clothes first." He dug around in an old ornate armoire and found Castiel's clothes. He helped him get into them wincing at the bruises on Castiel's body. He looked furious when he saw the dark purple circling Castiel's thin wrists. The angel looked steadily into Don's eyes. "Please, don't tell Dean."

Don nodded and pulled Castiel onto his back and tucked his hands under his knees. "C'mon Cas. Let's go stuff that fucker back into his box."

Castiel went in and out of a dreamless sleep as he clung to Don. He was so worried about Dean. He knew Dean was reckless and Mulder would be having a difficult time babysitting him. Both Dean and Mulder would probably be struggling to babysit each other. Castiel allowed himself a small smile at the idea before falling back into dreams. He dreamt of being trapped in the center of the floor of the room with the sigil, watching blood clog the design. Lucifer plucked out the feathers of his wings one by one as a ring of fire separated him from Mulder and Don; both of them pale and covered in blood. Dean was not to be found. In his heart he wondered if he was even coming. He woke up, startled, as Don forced a door open and carried Castiel into the room.

"Dean?"

"Cas? Is that you? God I am so happy to see you!" Dean was leaning against Mulder as they sat on the floor near the center, next to the ornate design. Castiel could see how his injured leg had been magically splinted but could tell Dean thought it hurt like a 'real son of a bitch.' Don gently set him down next to Dean and gave Mulder a quick kiss on the mouth as Castiel wrapped his arms around Dean.

"Cas, I was so worried about you."

Castiel hugged him with tears running down his face. "I-I didn't know if you were coming …I was so scared Dean!"

Dean put both his hands in Castiel's hair and stared into his eyes. "I would never leave you Cas. Ever. Wouldn't care about the reason, I love you and will protect you. I am so sorry Cas. So sorry." Dean looked at Castiel's raw and bleeding wrists. "He hurt you?"

Castiel nodded as he held back a sob. "What about your leg? Is it broken?"

"Yeah, but I can walk around a bit. It's just kinda sore."

Castiel laughed through his tears. "You are so tough Dean."

"Nah, just for my sweet angel."

Castiel laughed as Dean kissed him and pulled him into his arms. The taint of Lucifer seemed farther away now that he knew that Dean was here for him. He would never leave him. Dean promised, and Castiel felt safer than he had all day.

Castiel looked curious at the book Mulder was looking through. "What does the book say?"

"Dunno." Mulder eyed it. "Looks like we are in the right room though. Dean's ring lit up the center of the floor, I think it has got to be the devil's box."

Castiel leaned over and looked at the picture curiously and was surprised to see that it was the same one he had seen in Bobby's book with the angel. He stared hard at the sigil on the ground and gasped in horror as he watched it fill with blood, watching it drip from the angel's fingers. He watched as the words reappeared on the page.

'The betrayer will have the seals broken. The Devil walks free when treacherous words are spoken. The blood of the brothers and relics of the fallen angel return him to his cage. The friends will set the stage. One will be the sacrifice and one will lose his wings. He finds them when blood is shared and his heart sings. One will be lost and the last left to recall. They come together and the devil will fall.'

"It's the same poem. I think I am supposed to fill the sigil with blood." He watched blood fill the design in the painting and light shoot through the design in the floor, opening it up. The others gaped at him.

Dean eyed him. "That whole thing? Cas, a whole body would have to fill that thing up. You do that and you die!"

"I understand that Dean. The book shows that a sacrifice needs to be made to open up the cage. A human sacrifice and it looks like it is the angel blood that unlocks it."

"No you don't you stupid son of a bitch! You aren't bleeding yourself out for this Cas. It's too much. Why should you have to die for that evil dick?"

"He won't." Don was quietly eyeing the book. He closed his eyes for a while before setting it down. He helped Castiel over to the center of the floor. Dean looked horrified and tried to crawl over there as Mulder eyed Don curiously.

"What are you doing you son of a bitch! He can't die, just because the books says so doesn't mean anything. He looked pleading at Mulder who still looked confused.

They watched as Don pulled the knife out and pressed it lightly against the palm of Castiel's hand. "Sorry for this Cas." Castiel winced as the knife cut into his palm. He eyed the cut, confused.

"Don that is way too small."

Don smiled sadly at him. "I know." He lifted up Castiel's palm and turned it over, allowing a few drops to escape onto the floor. They hissed and the sigil glowed lightly. Don closed his eyes once more before sliding the knife along one wrist, biting his lip as the blood spurted and ran down his hand, falling the ground. Mulder sped over and Dean craned his head to see what was going on. He fell to his knees as the blood steadily drizzled to the ground."

"Don, what the fuck are you doing?" Don wearily looked into Mulder's frantic eyes and at the horror in Castiel's."

"I understand now. 'One will be the sacrifice.' They are talking about us. We have the four rings, the four amulets. Those people and angel in the picture?" He took a deep breath. "All us. Castiel can't do it, it calls for a human sacrifice. And I am the sacrifice." Don gritted his teeth as he cut deeply into his other arm to the bone.

"No Don!" Tears spilled from Mulder's face. "Why does it have to be you? Stop, let me do it instead!" He clung on Don's shirt desperately.

Don smiled at him weakly. "A little too late for that Foxy. I was supposed to die in the forest, guess Death caught up to me."

"Don, you can't do this!" He leaned his forehead against Don's. "Remember how you fought for me in the swamps? You didn't let me die. Please let me help you." He tried to stop the bleeding of one wrist and shuddered as he felt blood pool out from under his fingers.

"Yeah I remember." He laughed as tears started in his eyes. "Some first kiss huh?"

"Don please-"

"No Fox. This way you won't get your cute ass dragged to hell. Cas needs Dean. And we need Cas to live, how else will we get Lucifer back into the cage? I'm no angel, I am expendable." He kissed Mulder lightly on the mouth and whispered "Please, let me die for you."

"You already have! What was the point of getting you back! How can I lose you again Don? I just can't!"

Don smiled, eyes beginning to look hazy. "Well I stole three wonderful months. I lived for an extra three months loving you Fox. I can't ask for anything better. I cheated Death and got you. Guess you are too great of a thing for any one man." He trailed his fingertips lightly over Mulder's cheek. "The price is worth it. I am so in love with you Fox." Mulder let out a loud sob as he clung to Don. He felt ill as he remembered the cold of the forest and too much blood. Of clinging as to Don's shoulder's as he made love to him the first time, head spinning with ecstasy and love. His cute smile when he caught the baseball at the Red Sox game. He couldn't believe he was once again holding Don in his arms as his blood dripped from his body.

Castiel had helped Dean over and now he was gazing eye to eye with his dying best friend. "That's gotta be enough blood. Stop it you son of a bitch. Stop it!" Dean's face was wet with tears as he gripped Don's bloody hand,

"Take care of Charlie. Please."

"Oh God Don no! That's your job. You aren't dying!"

Don looked at Cas as the angel hugged him sobbing. "You guys go…got a devil to catch. Go before it's too late!" His breathing was slowing down and his vision fogging. "Please..go."

Castiel kissed him roughly before giving his hand one last squeeze. Dean kissed him too as Castiel lifted him off the ground and walked slowly. He felt a white hot furry like never before and it strengthened his shaking footsteps. Tears poured silently down his face and his wings burned with an intense light.

Mulder sat holding Don up in his arms as sobs racked his body.

"I can't lose you Don. Not again."

Don leaned into him as darkness began to gather on the edge. "Mulder, I know you don't believe in heaven or anything, but I have to believe I will see you again." He leaned in closer as he put his cheek against Mulder's. "I wouldn't have done this if I thought I wouldn't find you again." He gave him a small smile. "I want to believe."

Mulder gave him a shaky smile. "I want to believe too." They sat there in silence as Mulder listened to Don's heart weakly pump blood out of his body. Don began to shiver and drift off.

"Don?"

Don struggled and opened his eyes tiredly. "Fox?"

Mulder gulped for air as tears rolled down his face."You-you can l-let go now."

Don smiled softly. "Thanks Foxy…I love you…"

"Love you too." Mulder leaned in and kissed him for the last time, feeling their tears mingle and run down to the floor. He felt Don's head tilt back and found himself gazing into the blank eyes of his lover once more. He sobbed into his chest, looking up when light shot around their bodies. Mulder watched in shock as wings ripped out of his boyfriend's back. He was even more surprised to see his eyes open. Mulder hugged him delightedly until he felt a strong arm push him away. Don got up from the ground, staring at his hands.

"Don?" Mulder looked confused at the detached way he was looking at him.

Don turned and looked down at him coolly. "That's Michael to you, human."

Castiel flinched when he heard Mulder's wail of pure misery and nearly dropped Dean. He swallowed. Don must be dead. Dean slowly got out of Castiel's arms and put an arm around him.

"I think I can hobble Cas." Cas heard the rough edge to his voice and knew that Dean was still crying. Castiel helped him walk and looked down in shock as his ring began to glow. Dean glanced down at his too and looked back at Castiel. "We gotta hurry, the cage is opened."


	21. Oh Brother Where Art Thou

**Hey all! Sorry for the slow updates, it's another busy week! Thank you to my reviewers :) :)**

**Haventmetmyangelyet- Haha oh noes! You will have to add awkward songs like goofy goober to your play list lol! Nah, I do the same thing! Thanks :D**

**Underworld's-Reject- Thanks :) Yup felt like adding Michael to this mix, even I don't know what is going to happen in the next chapters lol!**

Castiel and Dean wandered through the poorly lit hallway. Dean reached down held Castiel's hand as the angel gave him a small smile in return.

"What's wrong Cas? Aside from all the shit we are going through of course. I just feel like there is something wrong that you aren't telling me about. You okay?"

Castiel squeezed Dean's hand lightly and kissed him. "…It's nothing Dean. Just thinking about everything going on. I am worried that I can't defeat Lucifer and Don will have…died for nothing. Both you and Mulder are in danger, you guys should leave."

Dean gripped both sides of Castiel's face and kissed him passionately. "No Cas. No. We are sticking with you until the end. You are not getting rid of me that easily you cute little son of a bitch."

Castiel smiled and hugged Dean, resting his head on his shoulder. "I love you Dean."

"Love you to Cas. More than anything. We will get through this, okay Cas? I promise, and if I believed there was a god out there, I would swear it to him."

"Mmmm. Thanks Dean." Castiel closed his eyes for a few moments and was shocked to see Lucifer fly past the window, not noticing them. "Dean, he's back!"

"What is it Cas? Who?" Castiel dug his finger nails into Dean's back in a panic as Dean tried to get a grip on his arms. "Cas? Cas? CAS CALM THE FUCK DOWN!"

Castiel stopped trying to claw Dean up as he took in a shocked breath from Dean yelling at him. "Lucifer has returned and I think he will be looking for me…oh my god, what if he finds Mulder?"

Dean put a hand to his forehead in frustration. "Shit, we shouldn't have left him, I-I just couldn't tear the poor guy away." He swallowed. "I mean, if it had been you…"

Castiel gripped his hand and they back tracked, racing through the corridors hand in hand, afraid of what they may find.

Dean pushed the door open and walked inside with Castiel following close behind him. Castiel gasped when he saw Mulder clinging on to Don's ankle, beautiful wings trailing behind him.

"Don? What the hell?" Dean came over and punched him in the shoulder before pulling him in a tight hug frowning at the way he tensed. Dean looked confused when his friend walked past him and pulled Castiel into his arms.

"Welcome back, brother. It has been too long." Castiel tilted his head curiously as he hugged him back, unsure what to do.

"Don? Are you alright?"

"Don? You can't tell that it is me Castiel? I would know you anywhere no matter what the vessel." He trailed his hand along Castiel's back to his wings making Castiel shiver with an unknown pleasure. "Wait…this is not a vessel? So you were really landed here on earth? I am so sorry Castiel."

Castiel swallowed nervously as he saw the same look in Don's eyes when he looked at Mulder, except it was directed at him. He felt a hand slide over his heart and he gasped in shock. "Michael?"

Michael gave him a brilliant smile. "I knew you couldn't forget me." He crashed his mouth over Castiel's as Dean's jaw practically dropped to the ground and Mulder let out a desperate sob. Castiel's eyes widened at the strange familiarity of the kiss, it felt like he had kissed the angel before. Castiel wouldn't even have to be vain to wonder if the whole host of heaven had a thing for him. Maybe it was an angel thing?

He barely had time to think before he felt himself pressed up against a wall with his legs around the other angel's waist as he hoisted him up with his strong arms. Castiel was shocked when he felt himself reacting when he felt Michael pressing into him as he forced his tongue into his mouth.

Castiel tried to pull his mouth away as he searched his face. "Don, are you still in there? Don!"

Michael looked back at him, brown eyes confused. "Aren't you happy to see me again Castiel?" Castiel pulled away and ran to Dean. He sobbed into his chest, afraid and confused. He knew Michael, he could tell by the way he felt, and it scared him. He was afraid that his previous existence as an angel of the Lord was completely unknown to him. Castiel buried his face in Dean's chest and felt safe and happy once more, pushing his worries away.

Michael extended his hand toward him looking hurt. "Castiel?"

"Go away! I don't really even know who you are. Pleas…it's too much."

Michael nodded. "I-I guess I understand Castiel. I will give you time to remember."

Dean glared at him. "You really got some nerve, don't you, you stupid dick! You doesn't even know who you are, so never assault his mouth like that again. He's got a boyfriend." Dean wrapped an arm around Castiel's waist and glared the angel down.

Dean swallowed when he saw the angel's eyes narrow. Yup, that was definitely Don's I'm gonna beat the shit out of you face.' "No, you have nerve, talking to me like this. I have known Castiel for centuries. I _know_ Castiel more than anyone. You know, it was his choice to come to earth to trap Lucifer? I only let him go because he promised he wouldn't forget me. You haven't, have you Castiel?" He looked into Castiel's startled blue eyes. "You remembered my name…"

"I-I did, but I am sorry. I don't really know who you are. And I don't want to. Get out of my friend's body!"

Michael stared at Castiel silently for a moment.

"No, he gave me permission. This body is mine now; why else do you think I would be here? I am here to help you, not fight with you. I want Lucifer to be locked up even more than you do. We do not have a very good history with each other."

"Then trap him in the hole and get out of our friend!"

"Ooooh sounds dirty." Lucifer landed in the middle of the floor smiling at Dean. He looked around him. 'Now I feel rather rude, all these guests and I fear I have not been the most gracious of hosts." He smiled smugly until he locked eyes with Michael. "Is that…you in that fine vessel brother? Its been years. Want to give me a hug?"

Michael narrowed his eyes. "No. Enough with the jokes Lucifer. You know I would not come down to earth for no reason. I trapped you in that cage once, and I am more than ready to do it again."

"No time for chatting? Really, and everyone thought I was the impatient one." He looked coldly at his brother. "I will not go back into that hell hole so easily now…now that I know what it is like. If you had to suffer the way I have, you wouldn't think twice about sending your worst enemy there!"

Michael smiled back at Lucifer. "Oh but Lucifer, I have sent my worst enemy to the pit: You. Not out of our former malice, but due to you stupidity and smugness. You practically built that cage for yourself bar by bar each time you defied our Father."

"Always the righteous brother! I see you haven't changed in your blind pious ways. Disgusting." He walked over to Castiel who was pressed protectively against Dean's chest. "You haven't been preaching your nonsense to Castiel, have you?"

Michael glared at him. "Have you tried to influence him to your side yet again? Castiel will never listen to you or even think of following you." He looked into Lucifer's eyes and muttered softly "He will never love you. Castiel is mine, and he will return to heaven with me once we smite you down together."

Lucifer looked enraged, a strange glow emanating from his wings. "You know nothing!"

Dean smiled condescendingly at the blonde angel. "Actually he is half right. Cas will A, never want to jump your bones and B," he looked over at Michael "Never want to jump _your _bones."

Both angels glared at the confident human before gazing expectantly at Castiel. Castiel swallowed before slightly pulling away from Dean.

"It's true. I am not the angel you think I am. I do not know who this Castiel is that you speak of, but I know him even less than you do. I have become who I am through my experiences here on earth, and I know in my heart that I could never love either of you. You are vain and controlling, expecting things that are difficult to give up. You cannot make someone love you, and that is the beauty of love!" Castiel took a step forward as the angels looked at him in shock.

Michael eyed him. "I do believe that you are the same Castiel, but your mind has been poisoned by humankind. Can you truly love them above your real brothers?"

Castiel looked back solemnly. "They are my real brothers. Gabriel practically raised me, and Mulder and Don have taught me to never be afraid of who I am. Through them I have learned that love is never wrong and that friendship is more important than any personal gain. They are my real family. I am sorry, but I have no other brothers."

Lucifer stared at Castiel silently for a while. "And what about this Dean character?"

"Dean is…everything to me. I have never felt so many things at one time as I have when I am with Dean. I am braver because of him, but afraid to lose him. I have opened up my heart to him and he has accepted it, scars and all. Tell me, what did you love about me? Can you even think of a reason you did or was it a battle for the same prize?"

Michael lowered his head. "No Castiel. It was love. You were so precious and fragile for an angel, locked away in your head for hours."

Lucifer nodded. "Beloved of God and the heavenly host. Understand that I have always loved you."

Dean's nostrils flared in anger. "You two really are a pair of sorry sons of bitches! All those years floating around in the clouds and you never got to truly understand Cas. Sure, I thought Castiel was in need of my protection at first, but in less than a year I realized he was stronger than me! He has been through so much in his years on earth. "He glared at Michael. "Why weren't you there when the man he thought was his father was ripping his wings apart one feather at a time? When he didn't know what transformation his body was going through, the years he was friendless? You have no right to even speak to him to dick! I'm sure you didn't deserve him now, and you sure as hell didn't deserve him then, so fuck off!"

The angels stood there staring at Dean in shock. They had never been bitched out by a human before, and this was a serious bitching out!

"Enough of this!" Lucifer snarled. "I will not stand around idly while you imbeciles bicker about things above your heads!" Lucifer closed his eyes for a moment, muttering a prayer in Enochian.

Castiel watched as two more angels appeared next to Lucifer.

"Very swift entrance. I am impressed brothers." He gestured to Castiel. "Castiel? Meet you brothers Zachariah and Raphael."

Zachariah smiled coldly at Castiel as he folded his arms behind his back. "Hello Castiel, long time no see. Glad to find you looking so well."

Castiel frowned at him as Raphael simply gave him a nod. Raphael stepped closer to the circle. "They have all four rings?"

"Yes, obvious, isn't it brother?" Lucifer pouted.

"Yes, it is obvious that you must want to go back into that hell of yours. How did mere children defeat your horsemen? I do not understand how you let them get so far, and here they are, very much alive in your presence. Do you wish us to aide you in killing them?"

"Yes. Join me once again brothers. We will destroy this earth together and claim our Father's love for our own."

Zachariah smiled. "Do you even need to ask us? I will join you brother, as long as you do not fail this time."

"As will I." Raphael gripped Lucifer's hand.

Michael rolled his eyes. "Great, you need more of our brothers to fight this fight? Are you that scared of these children?"

"Yeah, why don't all you dicks just gank each other and leave us alone?" All the angels glared at Dean.

"What? Haven't you had plenty of time to talk this out? Just freakin' ice each other already!" Dean's eyes widened as Raphael simply lifted a hand and he hit the wall. His eyes closed against the pain of his already broken leg smashing into a wall.

Castiel's eyes narrowed at Raphael. "Leave him alone. This is not your fight."

"You know nothing Castiel. You are practically a human yourself." Raphael raised his hand again and was surprised when Castiel did not simply hit the wall too.

"You are stronger than I thought Castiel. Interesting that surrounding yourself with all of these weaklings has not completely weakened you." Raphael pulled out his sword simultaneously with Zachariah. Castiel dodged their blades with trepidation. When he noticed the first gleam of the silver blades, he was afraid. Something tugged at his memory, and he knew that these were no ordinary blades. He barely missed Zachariah's blade as Dean leapt into the fight.

"Don't touch him you sorry sons of bitches!" Dean's fist collided with Zachariah's cheek as the angel simply stared at him.

"Did you just…punch me?"

"Yeah I did Chuckles. What you gonna do about it?" Dean looked back at him proudly.

Zachariah looked furious and nearly took Dean's head off with his sword.

"Watch where you're waving that thing! Jesus!"

The angels just stared at Dean. Normally a human would be awed to even be in their presence and here Winchester was, talking them down when they had brought put their weapons. Bravery, or stupidity, at this extreme in a human was unheard of. The angels where nearly dumbfounded.

Lucifer knocked Dean's head against the floor and smiled at his limp body. "Not very good at protecting you, is he? I ensure you that I could do much better." Lucifer extended his hand to Castiel with a warm smile.

Castiel glared him down as his wings took on a light glow. "No, you have caused me more pain than anyone I have ever met. You will not survive this battle." Castiel extended his hand and Lucifer collapsed on the floor for a moment. Mulder scooted across the floor and checked Dean's pulse. He nodded at Castiel as Lucifer got up from the floor quickly. He snuck behind Castiel.

"Cas watch out!"

Castiel turned and his eyes widened as Lucifer's bald grazed his side. He had never felt such pain before, not even when his wings had ripped out of his body. This pain was excruciating and lasting. It did not dull over the next few moments. Castiel fell to his knees as he gazed up at Lucifer, refusing to plead for his life.

"Do it Lucifer. I know you are more than capable. Just do it!" Castiel eyed Mulder who was attempting to drag Dean out of the room.

Lucifer placed his hands on either side of Castiel's face. "No Castiel. I just want you to learn who your master is. I own you Castiel. Just pledge yourself to me, and I will let your friends go. Stay here and love me Castiel. I have no need for your friend's lives."

Castiel looked up at him with tears of anger in his eyes. "Stop it! I can't stand your ugly lies anymore! If I even said yes, which I never would, I know that you would kill my friends or worse. I already will never forgive you for Don's death. No more sacrifices for you Lucifer. You have hurt too many people."

Lucifer turned and noticed Zachariah and Raphael had trapped Dean and Mulder as Michael turned a blind eye. Castiel felt blood dripping from the painful rip in his side and he felt dizzy. Castiel tried to keep his eyes open as the angels surrounded his friends.

Lupin wiped blood out of his eyes with the back of his hand as he dragged Sirius off of the battle ground. The castle's great hall was nearly unrecognizable with all the blood spilled across walls, turned over tables, unmoving bodies. Lupin placed a fierce kiss to Sirius's temple.

"Hang in there Snuffles."

Sirius smiled up at him. "I'm hanging in." He grimaced as he stretched, the wound on his back dripping a bit more. "How do you think the boys are doing?"

"I'm actually not sure."

Sirius laughed. "You, not sure about something? That's a first! Gotta say, I have a bad feeling about our kids."

"Me too."

Bobby and Ellen came over steering Charlie and Sam. "Hey guys."

"Hey, what's going on?" Sirius sat up, looking at them curiously.

Bobby pulled an amulet out of the top of his shirt and it glowed a steady amber color.

Lupin eyed it. "What does it mean Bobby?"

"I gave all four of those igits an amulet for Christmas. What I didn't tell them was that they weren't only for protection. It was a way to an eye on them, you know how attracted they are to trouble."

Lupin lifted up the amulet and looked it over. "Or how attracted trouble is to them."

Bobby nodded. "Well anyway, I know when those boys are in trouble, and it has been glowing for close to an hour until it practically burned my skin off a minute ago. Those igits are in some real hot water."

Charlie and Sam shared worried looks knowing that their older brothers were in trouble. "What can we do?"

Lupin chewed his bottom lip in thought. "Well, Castiel is an angel right?"

Bobby stared at him. "Umm yeah. So?"

Lupin got down on his knees and began to pray as if good people around him weren't dying. As if demons weren't killing people who had families that loved them. Snuffing out potential leaders of the world before they even had a chance to truly experience what might eventually be theirs. Lupin ignored cries of pain and blood staining the ground because he had to. They were out of options, Castiel and his friends were their only hope now. He continued on as the others knelt beside him and began to pray to the new beacon of hope: Castiel the angel of the lord.


	22. Highway to Hell

Hello everyone! I just want to throw out a quick apology to my readers (especially to Haven'tmetmyangel yet and Underworld's-reject for the horrifyingly long hiatus I took the liberty of taking). I watched the last season's finale and wasn't overly fond of it so it put me off writing this. I am planning on finishing this piece up in the next couple of chapters. We are almost to the end!

Haven'tmetmyangelyet- Hey! Thank you :) Dean is a total BAMF lol! Haha who wouldn't crush on Cas?

Underworld's-reject- Thanks! Yeah they do lol but he totally belongs to Dean!

Castiel slowly opened his eyes as he felt pain ripple throughout his body. He attempted to stretch stiff fingers and limp limbs to climb to his feet but the pain was too much. His eyes widened in shock as he felt a tumult of voices roaring in his head and his head throbbed with the chaotic sound. Tears started at his eyes until the noise ebbed. As the voices grew quieter Castiel chose to listen to them instead of fight the confusing roar. Castiel recognized the calming sound of Lupin's voice and the humor that frequented Sirius's. The roughness of Bobby and the affection of Gabriel. The voices pleaded with him to stay strong, that they would trust him with their strength to finish the battle. Castiel let them fill his head with their voices and felt his body begin to hum with power. He could faintly hear the angels talking. Castiel climbed to his knees and blinked away the fog that blinded him and rendered him useless. He made a frustrated sound in his throat when he saw Dean's body prone on the ground and the angels surrounding a crying Mulder.

"Leave him alone." The angels turned and looked in surprise at Castiel as the angel's wings glowed white-hot.

"Castiel? My you are stronger than I ever imag-"

"Shut up Lucifer. I am done with your cruel antics. You should have never been released from your prison." Lucifer gazed curiously into Castiel's expressionless face. "I find that you are the only of my Father's creations that is a mistake. There will be no absolution for you Lucifer. You have proven to be the only person that loves you, and the extent of that prideful obsession has tainted you beyond all repair. I will send you back into your pit and even the dogs who grovel at your feet now will not follow you in there."

Lucifer glanced worriedly over at Raphael and Zachariah who refused to meet his eyes. "Well? Tell him the truth boys." Lucifer clapped his hands slowly but the mocking smile did not reach his eyes. It was obvious that Lucifer himself was afraid. "Tell him that you would jump into the pit for me," Lucifer snarled. "That you would just as easily let the flesh be burnt off of your bones as you fall into the flames with me as to rule in the comforts of heaven. That aesthetics are not your aim and that you merely feed off of my presence. Tell him!"

Raphael chuckled and raised his eyes to meet Lucifer's. "Haven't we given you our trust, a rare and precious entity? We come when you call us and clean up the messes you leave behind. Once again we have bet on the wrong horse and once more we are threatened with his fate. I do not love you enough to taste the flames with you brother." He smiled coldly. "I always figured that you would not need the love of others with the amount of devotion you lavish on yourself. You were great once brother. I loved your power and now that it is gone? I fear I have become rather turned off. Good bye Lucifer."

"Yes, I find that really sums up my feelings as well. Well said brother." In a light rustling of wings both Zachariah and Raphael had vanished, abandoning their leader.

"Cowards!" Lucifer bellowed before turning to Castiel with his eyes glinting. "Are you ready pretty boy? Come get me!" Lucifer raised his hand and looked surprised when nothing happened.

"All out of power all ready? Disappointing." Castiel smiled as a feverish light glowed behind his blue eyes.

"H-How? How have you cut me off from my powers?" Lucifer looked bewildered at his useless hands as his wings took a sickly and pale glow.

"It was surprisingly easy Lucifer." The fallen angel looked up searchingly into Castiel's face. "I have people who love me and trust me enough to lend me the power of their souls."

"They prayed to _you_?"

Castiel smiled. "Yes Lucifer. To me. I have earned their love somehow." He looked a bit baffled at the level of trust his friends put in him. "You have spurned the love of all of those around you and now even the brothers that followed you have left you standing alone. But still, I do not pity you." Castiel took a step forward and stretched out his hand toward Lucifer as his fingers flared.

Lucifer cried out as he felt the feathers on his wings begin to separate from his body. "Stop Castiel! Please brother!"

Castiel continued to advance towards his brother as he watched the feathers drift to the floor impassively. "You know, I had nothing until this year? A father that was not mine by blood but found it righteous to rip my wings out feather by feather? All I head was Gabriel until I transferred t Hogwarts. I found the best friends that anyone could ever have."

"Oh how touching." Lucifer sneered as another handful of his feathers fluttered to the ground.

"And then I met Dean. I know now that I would not have really known what love was until I met him." He locked his icy eyes with Lucifer's. "I have learned how to love and that makes it that much harder to lose. The fall is worth it, but not for you Lucifer. You killed one of my best friends in the world and I have not the forgiveness for you even if it sends me to hell or makes my wings burn off of my shoulders. I hate you Lucifer as I have never hated before."

Lucifer swallowed nervously as a curious Michael stepped forward. "Castiel?"

"Stand back Michael. I have no use for you." Castiel raise his hand and Lucifer screamed as dark, poisonous looking blood poured out of his ears.

"I can hear them!" Lucifer sank to his knees, ears filled with the fell sounds of those tortured in his pit and those that he had betrayed. "Castiel please! Stop them…my God stop them!"

"Did you stay your hand when thousands pleaded before you? I cannot show you the same mercy you withdrew from the weak."

Michael gripped Castiel's wrist and tore him away from the blonde angel. "Castiel, do not kill him! It is not worth it!"

"Michael, you lost the right to tell me what to do when you abandoned me to earth." Castiel eyed him quietly.

"Oh, so you remember now?" Michael bit his lip. "Everything?"

"Yes Michael. You are almost as bad as Lucifer yourself. I can sense the darkness in you. You have strayed much after you locked Lucifer in his cage."

"I have not Castiel! I am here to help you. Let me."

Castiel shook his head. "I can read what is in your heart Michael and it is not what used to be there. Do not help Lucifer. There is no need for you to die with him."

Castiel watched Michael's dark eyes narrow as he let out a growl of anger. Castiel felt pain sear through his wrist where Michael once again clung. Michael grasped the feathers of Castiel's wings causing him to cry out in pain and shock, his power wavering.

"Wonderful Michael! Yes do my work for me. You and that fiery temper. You must have a strong vessel for him to not be destroyed by your constant fury." Lucifer picked up his sword in a flash but still barely grazed Castiel's side. It was enough to badly injure the angel and he whimpered as he felt the light attempt to leave his body.

Michael looked on in frustrated anger as he watched the two battle. His eyes widened in shock as he felt a hand grip his ankle. Damn it, the mortal still lived! Mulder pulled Michael down and gripped onto the soft white feathers as he fought to ignore that the vessel looked like Don. Every whimper of pain hurt him but he clung on as they rolled near the edge of the pit. Michael fought and gained a standing position with Mulder still clinging on to him. The wrestled and Castiel turned just in time to watch them fall into the pit.

"No! Mulder!" Castiel watched them fall wide eyed as the glow of the fire danced across the walls. Castiel turned and looked at Lucifer in fury. "You have done enough Lucifer!" He gripped onto the angel and dragged him struggling toward the pit, the opened sides of the sigil still darkened with Don's blood.

"Castiel, please, you do not have to do this! Come away from there! Castiel!" Lucifer struggled with his brother as the careened dangerously by the edge of the pit. Lucifer raised a hand and smacked Castiel's face with the side of his hand. Castiel ignored the stinging blow and wrapped his arms around Lucifer before pulling him into the pit with him. Wind soared in Castiel's ears along with the piercing screams of Lucifer and his fury. Flames licked Castiel's soft skin and took greedy mouthfuls of his wings. Castiel was in too much pain to determine if he was still gripping onto the other angel until he felt Lucifer's nails digging into his arms. A voice in the back of his reeling mind called out to Dean. Soon the voice came to the forefront and every thought Castiel had was of Dean. He stopped imagining the feeling of flesh being flayed off of his own body, of the heat that hissed around him and Lucifer. Once his mind entered that quieter place it was difficult to tell if he was still screaming or not. Castiel let the darkness consume him and fell limp as he and the blonde angel made their descent into the underworld.

Dean awoke on the marble floors and lifted his aching head off of the cool stone. He painfully pulled himself into a sitting position and looked around the now empty room. Dean crawled over to the sigil and was horrified to find the center of it once again sealed with no Castiel or Mulder in sight. Not even one member of the flock of angels remained. Dean scratched his head. All he could recall was being teamed up on by angels while Castiel and Mulder attempted to hold their own. He could remember when Castiel had collapsed on the ground and then he had also lost his own consciousness. Where had everyone gone? Dean beat his fist uselessly against the sigil as Castiel tumbled towards hell, out of Dean's reach.


	23. Hell's Angels

Sorry I am still being rather slow at posting. The story is reaching its end and I am not ready for it to be over yet lol! This is not the last chapter, and I expect there to be one or more before the story comes to a close. Thank you all readers and most of all Underworld's-reject for the supportive and wonderful reviews!

**Underworld's-Reject- Hey there! Glad to see you are still reading this :) :) Haha glad you are still enjoying it!**

"Fuck it! Cas! Castiel! Come back here you idiot!" Dean's fist was bruised and the knuckles bloody as he desperately dug his nails into the floor. Dean looked helplessly at the ground for a few minutes before pulling his aching body off of the floor. If he couldn't reach Castiel this way he would find something else. He needed Castiel. There love was a strange thing. Dean had never felt so selfish and yet so generous with someone at once. He wanted be everything to Castiel and to take away his distractions. To keep him to himself. To give him everything he could without the freedom of leaving him. And here had just proven that he really couldn't take care of Cas, that the pretty angel had seemingly been Dean's protector instead with that hidden power of his. Dean had begun to gradually hear it in his voice, a strength and confidence that were building up from the shy outcast he once was. Castiel had saved him. He had fucking taken on the Devil himself and taken the plunge into eternal hellfire. Shit. If Castiel had accomplished the seemingly impossible there was no way couldn't try to save him. But he wasn't bull headed enough to not see that he needed help. Dean wandered out of the front doors of the castle, dragging his injured leg a bit as he sent any positive thought he could scrounge up in his tired mind down towards the fire that had stolen his angel.

The entire Hogwarts castle seemed so silent without the noise of the clashing of bodies and the cries of the recently wounded. Lucifer's followers instantly knew. He was gone. The power that ebbed in their minds, that drove them in a killing frenzy was gone and they watched in horror as they lost the battle. Azazel slunk off in his wolfish guise once more but his confidence was gone. Half relived and half mad with fear the monster returned to the woods where only the company of speechless beasts and his own whispering thoughts would drive him mad. Any living servant of Lucifer was dragged off howling to Azkaban as the inhabitants watched them wearily. Of course seeing them locked away was satisfying in the non-lasting way justice provides. Families found each other to take stock of survivors which there was thankfully many of. The fight was not without its costs and some looked upon stilled faces with grief. Bobby was relieved to see that everyone in his charge was still alive. He couldn't say the same about his boys. The four had disappeared into Lucifer's castle alone. He shouldn't have let them do it. They were the only chance they had of sealing away Lucifer once more, but damn it they were too young! Children forced to clean up a mess that had began before they were even born. Bobby did his best to keep a positive look on things and smile for Charlie and Sam when he couldn't tell them what they really wanted to know. Were they still alive?

The heat was unbearable. Castiel found himself in a strange state between wakefulness and sleep. He couldn't open his eyes, but at this particular moment of time he wasn't sure if he wanted to. His mind was a mess and he was sure that his body was in even greater distress. The pain kept him anchored and tethered his mind, possibly even his soul to his body. He could hardly even think of himself when he felt worried thoughts gnawing into places the fire hadn't reached. Dean. Mulder. Where were his friends? Castiel let his mind slowly turn over the jumble of thoughts, letting each piece of information fall into place of its own accord. Don was dead. Mulder and Dean hurt. Where were they? Castiel fought his stubborn eye lids and nearly won before his weakened body lost the fight. He was trapped in an immobile body without even enough will power to move an inch. He was alone. Castiel had often been alone but it had never seemed so damn painful before. Before he learnt what it was like to have people who cared about him. To have loved and lost is better than to never have loved at all. Right? No damn it! He wasn't going to give in to an evil that had sucked him in, unwilling. What had he, or his friends for that matter, done to deserve this? Nothing could justify the ridiculous trials that had been thrown at him and his friends. Demons that didn't belong to them plagued them even to a literal sense and kept them from living like the rest of the boys there age. It had taken enough from them. Castiel was determined that Lucifer would not be his cell mate for the rest of eternity. 'Time to be strong Castiel. This is no time to give up.' Castiel felt his eyes slowly slide open as he made painstaking attempts to move his injured body. He knew that he had tumbled in the chasm with Lucifer minutes after Mulder and Michael had fallen in. Dean must be somewhere on the surface, hopefully he hadn't gotten the chance to jump in the pit after him. Mulder should be there. Castiel hoped that he had also survived the fall, but with the luck they had been having with this situation Castiel feared that he would never see his friend again. He looked down at his bloody palms: a mixture of his own and the blood from some unknown source thankfully outside of his body. Castiel sat up and looked around at the fiery ground about him. He placed both hand on the ground and was surprised to find that he could lift himself off the ground. The fire was no longer hurting him. Castiel felt rather disoriented as he lightly took a step of the flaming ground, surprised that the malicious fire was casually licking his ankles. Castiel wandered across the flames. Lost. He wandered aimlessly and alone wondering if this was his own personal hell to deal with. Lonely and unaware of his friends' fates. He trudged on until his eyes focused on a shape lying in a heap on the ground. Castiel hurried over with the unsettling feeling that his heart had settled in his mouth. It was Mulder. Castiel let his eyes trail over his friend's lanky form, noting the odd angels at which his limbs were splayed. Burns covered his body and the t-shirt he was wearing was little more than shreds and stained a dark red.

"Mulder?" Castiel reached out a tentative hand and placed it over Mulder's. He let out a sigh of relief as he felt the hand beneath his twitch.

"Hey…Cas? What happened? You look like crap." Castiel smiled back at his friend as he pulled him into a long embrace.

"You too Mulder."

"You didn't jump in after us? Cas?" Mulder searched Castiel's blue eyes.

"Yes, I'm afraid I had no choice in the matter. You took down Michael and Lucifer was free."

"Where's Dean? He didn't-"

Castiel shook his head. "No. Thankfully he is still somewhere up there." Castiel gazed upwards wistfully. "I wonder if there is any way back."

Mulder nodded and grasped Castiel's hand. "We need to get you back to him." He looked down at the ground as he fought off thoughts of Don. He glanced over Castiel. "Cas?"

"Yes Mulder?"

Mulder bit his lip as he studied him. "Where are your wings? Did you just tuck them away?"

Castiel looked surprised and tried to look behind him. "Do you see them now?"

"Uh-uh. Try again?"

Castiel took a deep breath and closed his eyes as Mulder gripped his hand. "Anything?" Castiel asked in a small, worried voice.

"No. I'm sorry Cas." They sat next to each other in silence for a while. If Castiel still had wings on his back, they would have wilted. Castiel noticed a hint of light surrounding him and Mulder, some sort of barrier between them and the flames.

"Can you see that Mulder?"

"Hmm? What do you see Cas?"

Castiel frowned. "I'm not sure. Some sort of light surrounding us." He leaned tiredly against his friend.

"Maybe it's coming from you? Could be that you are using up that magic energy of yours to protect us. Don't drain too much of it Cas! If your wings aren't lighting you may be burning yourself out of angel mojo."

Castiel nodded. "I think you could be right. But I can't control it." Castiel looked down uselessly at his hands.

"We need to find a way out of here before you lose it. How to you restore that kind of thing?"

"I don't know how, or even if you can. Maybe you use it up and it is gone forever." Castiel placed his head in his hands as Mulder leaned against him.

"It has to recharge. Otherwise how would angels go around being powerful for so long?"

Castiel smiled back at him. "You're right Mulder." Castiel reached out a hand to him. "Can you stand up?"

"I don't know." Mulder gripped his hand and allowed himself to be lifted from the ground. He leaned against Castiel as his knees buckled. "Just give me a couple of minutes."

They stood there in silence with Castiel supporting his friend, barely strong enough to stand up by himself.

"I think I can do it." The boys took a few halting steps forward until they began a jagged rhythm. Castiel glanced over a Mulder, noting the determination in his eyes. Castiel knew that he was using pain as a distraction. Strange how much simpler it was for him to be consumed with physical pain instead of the intangible realm of feeling. If Mulder wasn't here helping out Castiel we would break under the strain of losing Don. Castiel couldn't even imagine it. Of Dean dying and leaving behind a spectral form of Castiel to wander through hell. Literally. Castiel longed to reach into his friend's mind and tear out the thoughts he knew were laying stagnant on the back shelf of his mind. Left there to fester until Mulder no longer had the will power to keep them back there. Castiel didn't even know how to bring up the subject or anyway he could get his friend through this. All he could do now was to listen to and laugh at Mulder's sometimes horrible jokes while attempting to get them out of hell alive. Simple right? Both boys had fallen into a silence and they stumbled along for what seemed like hours. Castiel was half dead on his feet and carrying some of Mulder's weight along with a weighty tiredness that dragged his feet made mere balance a chore. Castiel thought he heard muffled screaming in the distance and looked over at Mulder to see if he heard it too. Mulder quickly brushed the tears out of his eyes and gave Castiel a weak lopsided grin.

"Something on my face?"

Castiel shook his head. "No. I hear something. Listen."

"Screams? Maybe we reached the next level of hell."

"Levels?" Castiel tilted his head and eyed him curiously.

Mulder shook his head. "Dante's Inferno." Castiel still eyed him like he had never quite seen anything like him before. "Old guy wrote a book a looooong time ago about hell and all its levels of sinners. There's a series of rings and the deeper into hell the greater the sinner-"

"-and the greater the punishment?"

"Mmm-hhhm."

"Why would anyone write about something like that?"

Mulder frowned and fussed with a piece of his ruined 'Show me your Bub-otubers shirt'. "I dunno. There is something in some people where they like to delve into darkness. A need for evil."

"And you think everyone is like that?"

"Sometimes." Mulder gave his a tired smile. "Aaaand that is why we have S&M.

Castiel looked confused. "And that is?"

"Never mind." Mulder reached over and ruffled Castiel's hair in a gesture very reminiscent of Dean. Castiel felt a fresh wave of fear for him rush through his body. He stood, breathless and lost for a couple of moments as Mulder gave his hand an encouraging squeeze. "We will find him Cas."

Castiel nodded and smiled at him wondering how the hell Mulder was able to take care of him when his own heart was probably in greater disarray than the fine assortment of hurts that covered his body. Castiel took a deep breath, determined to be stronger, to be more like his friends in that respect. How could an angel of the Lord be this useless to his friends? Sometimes Castiel had found himself longing to be just like them, nearly human but not quite. He was tired of always being on the outskirts of everything. Not quite human and a very poor example of an angel. Castiel could hardly recall anything he found useful from when he was a different Castiel. Castiel the angel and Castiel the freak were frighteningly distant from each other and he was having a trying time attempting to get them to untie into one mindset. The angels knew of him but not of who he was now. Castiel tightened his hand into a fist and began leading a limping Mulder behind him with a strength he didn't know he had. For all the failures, he had found some success, hadn't he? Lucifer was still somewhere in the bowels of the earth and if no one made it out alive, at least everyone on earth was safe. It meant that Lucifer would have trouble getting out again. The screaming started up again and Castiel knew that they were very close to its source. He led a slightly bemused Mulder on toward the sound to a horrifying sight: Lucifer was strung up in a set of rattling chains that pulled at his arms and legs. His flesh seemed to be continuously burned off and regenerated. He looked upon them with the frantic whites of his eyes as they stood their distance from him and observed his agony.

"Please…Castiel…" Lucifer attempted to reach out a chained arm to his brother as Castiel took in a sharp breath. Castiel quickly swallowed and shook his head. Fury built up behind the fallen angel's eyes and he began to shriek at Castiel and set out a tumult of curses along with the bright red blood of his ruined lungs. "Fuck you! What gives you the right to stand here and watch me suffer? Let me down Castiel! I am your brother damn it!" Red spittle had gathered at the corner of his mouth and the same red dripped into once lovely golden hair.

Castiel stared at the ground, unable to look at even Lucifer in this state. "I cannot. What gave you the right to try to destroy the world? To kill and main for your own pleasure? To look upon humanity with jealously instead of love?" Castiel shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I am tired of debating this with you. You know why you are here, and so I will let you suffer here with whatever sick and twisted self pride you can muster up. Good bye Lucifer." Castiel gripped onto Mulder as they left behind a being that had fallen so far that he was no longer recognizable. They turned to leave when they stumbled upon Michael, legs trapped in the flames and nearly snarling with the pain.

"Castiel!" Castiel felt sick as yet another of his brothers reached out for mercy.

"Yes Michael." Castiel was still not used to seeing Don's body manipulated as the angel's vessel. Don had always been rather stoic, unless you got him really mad, but Michael had yet to crack a true smile. Castiel did not think that the smirk that had occasionally lit on his handsome face had counted.

"Get me out of here. Please Castiel!" Michael reached over and gripped his hand. "I can understand you leaving behind Lucifer, but what is my crime?"

Castiel stood there looking into his pleading brown eyes. "I do not know you well enough to pass any form of judgment upon you, but from what I have seen I know that when you professed to help us it was on a selfish basis. What I still do not understand is your stake in this fight. All this for a battle of brothers?"

"Not going to let me off easy are you Castiel?" Michael grimaced. "You used to be so pliant and here you are speaking in the name of justice. It is rather nice to see you so stubborn."

Castiel frowned back at him. "You know, you aren't really making a winning case for yourself."

Michael attempted a laugh. "Even with the influences of your new friends you are still the same heartless soldier Castiel. It is good to see that there is some semblance of your old self."

"Michael, I don't give a damn about who I used to be." Michael eyed him nervously as Castiel gazed back in a seemingly deep state of thought. "I don't think I have the power or right to judge you."Michael's face lit up. "But I refuse to help you out unless you consent to give us back our friend's body. I hate knowing that you smug spirit is nestled somewhere in there. Give us back Don and you are free to go."

Michael stood there for a while wrestling the idea of giving up his vessel until he knew that this was his only way to escape hell. He nodded. "Even though I was given control over this body by a _willing_ participant, you may have it back. Just get me out of here."

"I will try." Castiel stood before his brother and placed a hand on his forehead. He allowed the confused jumble of thoughts in his brain to cease and let the silence over take him. Castiel wasn't really sure what he wanted or even thought might happen but he figured all he could do was try. All year he had been learning about his angelic powers at random, and now he hoped to call upon that unknown source once more. Castiel felt a strange coolness trail from the base of his hand. It traveled through his fingers and felt like it exited through the tips. Both angels shuddered. A roar began to build up under their feet and Castiel felt Michael pull free of the flames as molten earth and fire spilled about them. Castiel ducked his head and sensed both Mulder and Michael next to him. He clung on to them as the earth rumbled loudly and the floor beneath their feet seemed to vanish entirely.


	24. The Way is Shut

**Haven'tmetmyangelyet- Hey! No worries, glad to see you are still reading this :) Thanks for all the reviews, you rock!**

"We need to get out of here now!" Michael gripped Castiel by one wrist and Mulder by another. Castiel nearly fell over as the ground ripped open beneath them and flames spurted upwards. He allowed Michael to grip on to him as he put his trust in the angel. There wasn't really an alternative. Michael's wings unfurled as he lifted off of the ground, taking the others with him on his ascent upwards. Castiel could feel how weak his grace was and fought the need to rest. He knew that he was still shielding himself and Mulder from the flames and that it was eating away at him. Michael dodged the flames as best as he could as he wrestled all of them towards earth. They reached a ceiling and Michael hit it with his fist in fury.

"The damn thing is shut!"

Castiel frowned at it and placed a hand over the burning emblem. "Do you think we can open it?"

"I'm not sure, I've never exactly been in hell before."

Castiel tried not to get frustrated with the other angel. It did trouble him how much he sometimes sounded like Don. It was as if their friend was still there, trapped along with the infuriating angel that had taken him over. He hoped that if they got out of there that they would be rid of the infuriating angel. Sure, Castiel was grateful that Michael had decided to help them, but he knew that it was only for the selfish sake of saving himself. Castiel couldn't believe how rotten all the angels seemed to be. He was glad that he didn't know what he was like among them in the clouds. Probably a smug dick like they all seemed to be. He watched as Michael also placed a hand over the sigil and closed his eyes. Strangely Castiel pitied him in that moment. A being that was supposed to be perfect had lost his father and his way and here he was proving to be less competent then bible stories lead people to believe about angels. They were supposed to be perfect: strong and beautiful. The best of children who protected humanity and loved them as much as their father. So much for the theory of guardian angels. They had become so twisted. Lucifer was surprisingly not the only selfish and jealous angel. Daddy had brought home a new favorite sibling for them and they had not taken to him in the way their father had. Castiel could see why they were like this, way they had become so self involved. But he refused to accept how they acted upon their torrents of negative feelings to harm others who had no means of protecting themselves from such a hateful force. Castiel closed his eyes as he willed the door to open. Here he was, finally being able to team up with one of his real brothers instead of fighting them. Castiel felt the sigil shift under his palm as the red hot rock cut him with its ancient stone. He pushed against the rock with both palms and heard Michael grunt, also attempting to force it open with all of his might. The ceiling shifted open slowly as pieces of the stone crumbled about them. Castiel felt them bouncing off of his already hurt body as he tried to climb through the opening. He heard Mulder cry out as one hit him in the face.

"Give me your hand Mulder, I'm out!" Mulder clutched Castiel's hand as the angel dragged him back onto familiar earth. They both reached down and pulled Michael out of the pit as he looked shocked at them.

Michael eyed the hole they had just clambered out of. "Thank you Castiel. I-I am sorry that I wasn't much more of a help to you earlier…and about your friend. I fear he may have been more help to you than I have been." He looked directly into Castiel's eyes. "I am sorry that I chose to behave like a fool instead of just burying Lucifer again. I know now that you are not the Castiel that I used to love, but I understand that you are much braver now than you ever were before."

Castiel smiled and gave the archangel a hug as he looked confused at him. "Thank you Michael. I'm glad that not all angels are ass-butts after all." Both Michael and Mulder stared at him.

"Ass-butt?" Mulder shook his head at him. "You may be able to kick anyone's ass but we really need to teach you how to curse properly. Seriously dude."Castiel smiled back, relived to see someone smile again.

"Michael. Don't forget the deal. We want Don back please." Michael nodded and went over to Mulder. He placed his hands on either side of his face and kissed him on the mouth. Mulder looked startled for a moment and then closed his eyes. He opened them and gently pushed Michael away.

"Thank you for trying Michael, but you still have to learn a lot about human feelings. Don was super hot and believe me, that was a perk to our relationship, but you still aren't him. Not really. I-I said goodbye to him already and I can't do it again."Michael nodded, although it was blatantly obvious that he still didn't completely comprehend what he meant. The ground began to shake and they all turned towards the pit, which was slowly closing once more.

Castiel looked around. "But where is Dean? This is where we left him, and he is gone. Where do you think he went?"

Mulder frowned. "Probably looking for you somewhere. Maybe he got out of the castle?"

Castiel nodded "I hope so-" Castiel was knocked to his knees as the ground began to shake worse than it had in the fiery bowels nestled under the earth. A piece of the ceiling dropped onto the ground, crushing the stand that held to book.

"We need to get out of here, now!" Michael grabbed Castiel by the shoulders and pushed him towards the doorway. "Start moving now or we die!"

Castiel hurried forward as he felt some severe déjà vu. He began to run after Michael as a large lacquered chunk of ceiling nearly took him out. He had nearly made it to the door when he realized that Mulder wasn't following them. He was going the opposite direction. "Mulder! What are you doing? The exit is this way!"

Mulder turned towards him quickly. "It' Samantha, I can't leave her!"

"Mulder please get back here!" He looked frantically back at Michael who shook his head quickly.

"Just leave him Castiel. No need to die for his idiocy! Come on Castiel!"

Castiel shook his head quickly. "I can't Michael! He would do the same for me!" Castiel turned and made his way towards Mulder's retreating back. Michael sighed and stood there for a second as he worried his bottom lip with his teeth. He sighed and ran after Castiel as some angry force in the earth attempted to swallow them and the building whole.

"Mulder! Where are you?" Castiel ran over to Mulder's cry of "Over here!" He could see Mulder running as fast as his injured body would allow.

"I see her! Samantha?" Mulder ran over to a figure prone on the ground. "Samantha? Samantha!" Mulder shook her by the shoulders.

"Fox?" Samantha looked into Mulder's frantic green eyes. "What is it Fox?"

"No time to talk Samantha, we need to get out of here now! Back story later!"

Samantha shook her head and pulled away from him. "No Fox. Where is Don?"

"Please Sam, not now. I can't talk about this now!" Mulder gripped her tightly by the wrist as she cried out pathetically.

"Stop it Fox that hurts!" She grasped his wrist instead. "Is Don dead?" Mulder looked away. How?"

Mulder looked down at her with tears in his eyes. "He killed himself so we could open the pit.

"He did?" Samantha's nostrils flared in fear. "And Lucifer?"

Mulder looked ill at the way her voice practically caressed the last word. "Gone. In his hell hole where he belongs. Now please come with us!"

"No damn you! How could you do that to Lucifer! You dumb brats did it? He was a god!"

Mulder looked confused at her and then glared. "You aren't Samantha! Where is she?" Samantha's eyes went completely dark as she practically growled at him.

Castiel's eyes widened as he saw a knife glint in Samantha's hand. "Mulder watch out!" Mulder turned in time to watch the blade pierce through his chest. He blinked in surprise as his shaking hands found the blade. Michael pushed Castiel out of the way as he placed a hand on Samantha's head roughly and billows of black smoke poured out of her mouth. Castiel looked ill as he watched her retch out the black cloud before collapsing on the ground.

"What? What happened to her?" Mulder sobbed as he tried to crawl his way back over to his sister's body. "Is she…" Mulder looked dizzy as the blood kept pouring out around the blade twisted into his flesh.

Michael shook his head as he eyed the destruction around him. "Yes. I believe that she must have been mortally wounded before the demon took her over. Look at her neck."

Mulder's face went pale as he eyed the dark marks around his little sister's neck. "So she has been…dead this whole time? Oh god I killed her!" Mulder sobbed into his hands weakly as the blood quickly soaked his shirt.

"You didn't Mulder!" Castiel tried to stop the blood from running out of his friend's body. "Mulder please listen to me." Castiel winced as a chandelier crashed near them. "This isn't your fault! The demons took her and there was nothing you could have done. Come on Mulder, we have to get you out of here!" Castiel wiped away blood from Mulder's mouth as he tried to lift him from the ground. Mulder cried out in pain and collapsed next to Samantha. Castiel reached over to grip him once more as Michael pulled him away. A chuck of plaster landed where Castiel had just been and was now crushing Mulder's leg.

"Cas…" Mulder's eyes closed as the blood pooled out from under him. Castiel sobbed when he realized that the knife had been driven in deeper.

"We have to leave now Castiel!" Castiel fought his brother's grip as he watched the light begin to go out of Mulder's eyes.

"No! Michael no! Please let me save him! Michael if you have a heart you would let me."

Michael gripped him tightly as he pulled his brother away from the scene. Away from Mulder's now limp body. He scooped Castiel up into his arms as his tattered wings trailed behind him.

"Fuck you Michael! Take me back to him!" Castiel fought as he choked on sobs that racked his entire body.

Michael tightened his grip on him as he ran. "No Castiel! It is because I have a heart that I won't take you back to him. I won't let you die for nothing, Castiel." Castiel loudly sobbed against his chest as the angel carried him back out of the threshold of the palace. Castiel gazed brokenly over the angel's shoulder as he was carried farther away. He couldn't believe it. This same day his friends had both been alive. Mulder and Don had been alive. This whole year had come down to the battle between Castiel and Lucifer and it had been his friends who had died. He climbed out of Michael's arms as he watched the castle collapse behind them. Castiel ripped the ring off of his finger and threw it behind him. He untangled the amulet from his neck and tossed it away too.

"Come on Castiel. Do not dwell on this now. If you do you risk being consumed by the bitterness. It will destroy someone like you." Michael gripped Castiel's hand and led him as one does with a small child. They walked in silence for hours as Castiel felt himself go numb. He hardly noticed the tears trailing down his face as he allowed himself to be led.

Michael raise a hand over his eyes as he gazed out towards the front of the path. He spied a figure struggling to limp forward with a slight drag of the left foot. "Castiel, look. Is that your Winchester?"

Castiel gazed ahead. "Dean! Dean is that you?"

Dean turned around as quickly as he could with his injured leg. "Cas? Oh god Cas it's you!" Dean's face broke into a relieved smile as Castiel let go of his hand and ran towards him. Dean wrapped him tightly in his arms as Castiel clung onto his shirt desperately. "I was so worried about you, you son of a bitch!" He tilted up Castiel's chin with one hand. "What happened to you? You look terrible!"

"I fell in the pit with Lucifer."

Dean nodded. "Where's Mulder?" He grinned. "Did you let him wander off somewhere?"

Castiel let out a sob as he nodded and clung onto Dean. "We left him Dean."

"You what?"

"His sister was there…and she wasn't his sister. A demon. She was a demon and she…stabbed Mulder. The whole castle was falling down around us and…he got trapped." Castiel looked up guiltily into Dean's eyes. "He's dead Dean. And I am so sorry."

"Fuck." Dean shook his head as he gripped Castiel's shoulders. "So…he's gone then? That son of a bitch killed them…he better rot in that hole forever. If I could just jump back in there and kill him…"

"Dean, no. I saw him down there, and believe me. Nothing anyone could do would be as bad as what he is going suffering."

"Really now Cas? And what is that? Burning? Physical pain?" He balled his hand into a fist. "I wish that asshole had someone to lose. If he felt what I do right now? That's hell!" Dean shouted as Castiel cowered. His voice began to break. "We were supposed to be the good guys Cas. And what did we walk away with?"

Castiel gripped his hand tightly. "I know Dean. It isn't fair."

"You're damn right it isn't Cas!" Dean buried his face into his hands as Castiel hugged him tightly.

"We need to keep going, Dean. Everyone was in the middle of a battle when we were at the castle-we need to know if it has stopped now."

Dean nodded. "You're right Cas. We may still be needed somewhere else." He went pale. "Shit. I need to find out if Sam is okay!" Dean grasped Castiel's hand as they made their way to the castle with heavy hearts. The angel trailed after them, confused and forgotten. He was unsure of his path now that Lucifer had been restored to his cage since he didn't feel that the others liked him that much. He had been an asshole and was currently frequenting their friend's body, so he could kind of see where they were coming from. He watched Dean and Castiel as they helped each other along the path. Dean with his leg broken and simply splinted and Castiel's assortment of injuries, the worst being a stab wound from Lucifer's sword. It burned deep under the angel's skin and Castiel could almost feel his grace dripping slowly from the wound as his wings dragged limply behind him. Michael's own wings were scorched and painful he figured he would just go back to heaven to restore his grace. Michael closed his eyes and used the last of his grace to vanish off of the castle grounds.

By the time they wandered onto the castle grounds the boys finally realized that Michael had simply disappeared.

"Now where did that son of a bitch go off to?"

Castiel bit his lower lip as he looked up at the darkening skies over the castle. "I'm not sure, but maybe it is for the best that he is gone for now."

"Why? What if we need that dick huh? What if the battle is still going on…we are already short two of our members. And he still has Don."

"He promised to give him back. We will have to believe him." Dean glared at Castiel. "What Dean?" He sighed. "What do you think it would be like to show up with someone that looks like Don? It would get poor Charlie's hopes up until we told him the truth. If seeing Don like that is hard for us, think of how bad it would be for him."

"Shit." Dean ran a hand through his hair. "I forgot about that. What the hell do we say to him?"

Castiel gripped his hand. "All we can do is tell him the truth and how he died for all of us."

Dean shook his head as he brushed tears off his face angrily. "It is still not enough Cas."

"I know. And it won't ever be. But it is something we have to do." Dean nodded as they walked up the familiar steps of the Hogwarts castle.


	25. All's Well That End's Well

** Hello everyone! This is it, you have reached the very end to "Where There's a Wand, There's a way! Congratulations to you. I have to give a shout out to everyone who has, and hopefully will read in the future, my story.**_** Haventmetmyangelyet**_** and **_**Underworlds-reject**_**, thank you so much for the consistent reviews! I seriously felt like I was writing this entire story for the three of us lol. You guys have been posting since the very beginning, and your reviews in turn kept me posting. THANK YOU! I am sad to have finished this story, since I wasn't expecting it to be just under 70000 words. I plan on writing more fanfics, so keep your eyes out! I may use the same Cas/Dean Mulder/Don again in another universe since it seems to have tickled my fancy. Oh, I will still love to get reviews on this beast, even if you are reading this story in 2012. Thank you all again and enjoy! Mischief managed.**

**-PaperGangstah**

Castiel and Dean gripped each other's hands tightly as they looked over the disarray of the castle's Great Hall. Wall hangings ripped and stained with blood dripped from the stone. The house tables lay broken and most of the castle inhabitants sat on whatever clean part of a bench they could. Bobby got up from his spot and made his way over to them.

"Hey you igits." He pulled them both into his arms in a bear hug as their other friends came over. The rest of the castle looked over at them in awe, some in tears, some hopeful.

Sam searched Dean's face. "Is he gone?"

Dean nodded. "He's back in hell," Dean shouted hoarsely. A chorus of cheers erupted around the hall as people swarmed them. Castiel felt a torrent of people wrapping him in their arms and froze, in shock at their reception of him. He nodded as people thanked him. He felt as if he was in a sea of confusion and he had no idea how to react. Castiel feared that he had done so little to make it here. Don and Mulder had sacrificed everything and here he was with people showering him with praise and gratitude. Castiel hugged both Ash and Gabriel as they practically attacked them. He swallowed when he noticed Don's little brother fighting through the crowd, confusion evident in every feature of his face. He looked so small and lost. Castiel knew that in a matter of minutes he would know the truth: his brother was dead.

"Where's Don? Where is my brother?" Charlie wandered over towards them as he clutched his bandaged arm to his chest.

Dean took both of his hands gently as he felt the shameful tears begin once more. "Oh god Charlie…I.."

Castiel came over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "He's gone Charlie," Castiel whispered softly. He could feel sobs racking the small body next to him and he drew him into his arms. He locked eyes with Dean, who looked as lost as he felt. Castiel pulled Charlie onto his lap and held him closely until he eventually cried himself to sleep in Castiel's arms.

Lupin came over and rested a hand on his shoulder. "And Mulder?"

"He is dead too." Castiel told them the story as he stared at the mussed designs on the floor. He hung his head and Dean looked guilty when the words finally dried up in his throat.

Lupin shook his head at them. "You cannot blame yourselves for their deaths. They chose to go with you and understood what could be lost. The blame falls on Lucifer and not you for their deaths. By the way you look, I would assume that the two of you only survived, and barley. Without your friends you would have also died. Look around you Castiel. Do you see all of these people?" Castiel nodded as he looked all of their tired faces. "They are here because of you. Something happened, and all of the demons just fled. You did it Castiel. Lucifer is gone and I am sure both Mulder and Don are grateful to you. You four were only kids and you stopped the apocalypse."

Castiel gripped his hand. "Thank you Lupin." He lifted up Charlie to carry him to the dorms.

Sirius took him gently from Castiel. "You're hurt and look almost as bad as shit on a stick. You and Dean can go up to the hospital wing."

Dumbledore smiled at them. "Yes do. Go and get fixed up while we clean this mess up. I do believe a celebration is in order." He waved his wand as an assortment of chairs drifted back to their respectable places. Castiel made his way upstairs tiredly as he heard the scuffles of the castle being put to right once more. He hardly noticed the burn of the antiseptic. Castiel let whoever was dabbing at him and sewing him up do their work unhindered. He figured if Don was still here he would be putting up a fight or pouting. He had always had trouble dealing with people taking care of him. Mulder would be pretending to flirt with the school nurse. Castiel closed his eyes and lay back on his pillow as memories clouded his brain.

"Castiel. Hey…Cas!" Castiel found himself out on the quidditch field. It seemed different somehow. Like the edges of his vision were fuzzy. Castiel saw figures standing in the distance clutching brooms. He wandered over towards them curiously. Castiel dropped the broom in his own hand when he saw who was standing there. Castiel felt the lately too frequent feeling of tears running down his face as he saw his friends standing on the field. Mulder and Don stood there smiling back at him as he ran over, nearly tripping on the dewy grass. No sign of the struggle that had killed them was evident. They were clean and dressed in their quidditch uniforms.

"Man you were in the zone, thought you went deaf or something." Mulder grinned at Castiel as he clung onto both of them.

"Yeah and look at Dean. The genius looks lost." Don nodded towards Dean who was still gazing around in the opposite direction.

"Hey Dean, over here!" They all waved to Dean as his face broke into a grin.

"What the hell? Where are we you sons of bitches?" Dean gave his friends each a massive hug.

Don grinned as Mulder wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Heaven."

"No way Don. You're shitting me, how could you guys get into heaven?"

Mulder shrugged. "Guess we were just pious enough to get through the doors. I think it's thanks to Don I'm here. Hanging around a Jew, one of the chosen people, sure has its benefits."

Dean looked around squinting. "So if this is heaven, where are all the fluffy clouds and naked babies in diapers?"

"I guess heaven is whatever you want it to be. You wouldn't want the same dream as everyone else would you?" Mulder looked smug. "Guess fluffy clouds and babies aren't my thing."

"Yeah I guess…so why are we on the quidditch field?"

" Why not?" Dean glared at Don. "It's one of our favorite memories. Here we won the cup for Gryffindor, not to mention all the games we kicked the other team's asses."

Mulder nodded. "Here we get to choose what memories we want to frequent and unluckily all my favorite moments are shared with Don so we are stuck together for eternity. Do you still think this is heaven and not hell?" He tried to dodge the punch Don aimed at his shoulder.

Dean stared at them blankly. "So let me get this straight. You guys can hang around doing whatever the hell you want?"

"Mmmhmm."

Dean shook his head in amazement. "Maybe you two really are the lucky sons of bitches in this."

Castiel just smiled at them, hardly able to stop. "So how did we get here anyway? Have we died too?"

"Nah. Your angel buddy took you up here."

Castiel and Dean simply stared at him. "Who?"

"Michael. You guys must have been dreaming and he decided to zap you here."

Dean looked confused. "Why would some dick angel do that? I wonder what his real motive is."

"Oh Dean. You and your trust issues. I think you may be worse than Don." Mulder grinned at both of them.

"Haha Mulder. So is he really better than all those dick angels out there?"

Don nodded. "I would say so. I think it was kinda cool of him to you know…let us see each other again."

They walked into the Hogshead together as the scene changed. "No way, is this Christmas?"

"Uh-huh."

Dean smiled as he watched everyone's forced smiles as they listened to Sirius's brutal renditions of Christmas carols.

"Man. I can't believe you guys are going to be gone. What the hell am I going to do next year?"

Mulder smiled. "Dean you got Cas. We never got into so much trouble in all our years of Hogwarts put together than when he joined our team."

"Dude kicks some serious ass too. And with Lucifer in the cage, I'm sure all the Slytherins are going to lay low for pretty much forever." Castiel looked pleased back at Don. He had always hated having to deal with their antics at school.

"I wish you guys could come back with us." Dean stared at anything but them.

"What leave heaven to bum around with you?"

"Yeah Mulder. I want you guys to leave heaven to bum around with me." 

Don punched him in the arm. "Wish I could. But we can't. Looks like we are going to have to wait what…a couple of days for you guys to do something dumb and kill yourselves."

"Is that your opinion of us? Really Don?" Don nodded solemnly as Castiel and Mulder grinned.

"So Dean…"

"Yeah Don? Not going to ask me to kiss you are you?"

"Nope. I don't want the herp. Umm… have you said anything to Charlie?"

Dean gripped his friend's shoulder, knowing how vulnerable he felt when he showed that he actually cared about someone. "Yeah Don."

Don worried his bottom lip as he watched dream Charlie sneaking too much fire whiskey at the table. "How is he?"

Dean sighed. "He isn't in the best state of mind right now. We had just gotten back to the castle before going to the hospital wing and falling asleep. Cas told Charlie and he cried himself to sleep." Dean wished he had lied after he saw the pained expression on his friend's face. "We'll tell him whatever you want Don. I think that hearing that you are doing alright will really help him."Don nodded but still didn't look very happy.

"We will look after Charlie. I promise." Castiel grasped Don's hand as he looked intensely into his eyes.

"…" Castiel smiled and nodded at him. "Thanks Cas."

A man came towards them and they turned towards him. "Hello, how are you children? Nice to see you came for a visit."

"WOW. I have been telling everyone for years that God is a black man and here is the proof!" Everyone stared at Dean as the man shook his head and laughed.

"No I am not God. Just an angel my boy. Joshua is my name and I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Oh well that's embarrassing. Not you-me."

Joshua laughed. "It is alright. Do not worry. I came here to talk to the angel." He smiled down fondly at Castiel. "I have hear of the things you did on earth. Very impressive, especially without the full knowledge of you powers."

Castiel looked at him straight in the eye. "Why was I sent to earth?"

"Good question child. We needed someone with the power of an angel and not the attitude of one. Thankfully you were always less…stuffy than the rest of us. And your victory proves that you were the right angel for the job. You learned to love others more than yourself. To sacrifice everything to save the world." He winked at Castiel. "Believe me, no other angel would do the same things, make the same calls you have this year."

Castiel shook his head. "I didn't really do as much as my friends." He turned towards Mulder and Don. "They really gave everything."

Joshua laughed as Castiel looked surprised at him. "And what do you think merits such a friendship? If you were able to make friends willing to die for you, then you must have really done something right. In less than a year you won them over so that they placed you higher in their hearts than the preservation of their own bodies." Mulder and Don nodded at Castiel who smiled gratefully back at them. "Believe me, these two kids are a better example of humanity then most, but they still would not abandon everything they knew and loved if they hadn't come to love you so much."

Castiel turned towards his friends as they enveloped him in a large hug. "Thank you both, so much. For everything you have done for me. For things I would have never even had the heart to ask you."

Mulder grinned at him. "That's just part of your charm Cas. If you had been the type to ask for something like that, you just wouldn't be you."

Joshua smiled at all of them. "Now, although it is nice to chat and catch up with friends, I come here on business. We are ready for you Castiel."

"What?"

"Ready for you to come home. To return not only your powers to you, but the home that has belonged to you your entire life." He placed a hand on Castiel's forehead. Castiel could hear a sound almost a whisper and understood it to be something he had heard before in Enochian.

"No." Castiel stepped back as Joshua looked surprised at him.

"What? Castiel you have earned this, you are by right born an angel and you have saved the very earth you lived on. I do not understand."

"I want to know if Dean can come with me too."

Joshua shook his head. "Sorry child, but it is not his time. But as an angel you may still spend time with him."

Castiel glanced at Dean who tried to give him an encouraging smile while his heart sank in his chest. "Go on Cas. This is so much bigger than me. Give the angels the hell they deserve." He looked over his shoulder at Joshua. "Sorry."

"Would I remember everything from this year…or would I return to the Castiel that Lucifer and Michael spoke of? I am not sure that I care for the sound of him very much."

"No Castiel. But you would have to return to your angelic duties. I am afraid that you cannot be fully restored to heaven and spend your days like you used to."

Castiel took a deep breath. "Then I am afraid that my answer is no. I am not ready to go somewhere that Dean cannot follow. I thank you for the offer though."

Joshua smiled as Mulder and Don exchanged smug smiles that they gave to the angel.

"Told you he wouldn't go off so easily like that."

Joshua smiled. "Yes you did. Castiel, since I was already prepared to hear your answer, I can accept that you are not ready to be among heaven's host's at this time. But when the time is right you may always go back on your decision. Heaven's gates will always be open to you and when Winchester comes among us, I hope that you will decide to join your brothers once more."

Castiel nodded. "I will. Thank you Joshua." He smiled at his friends. "I will look forward to being among my brothers once more."

"Ha! If Dean can get in here everyone can!"

"Shut up Mulder. Now that I know you aren't in pain and misery anymore I wouldn't think twice about decking you in the face."

Mulder grinned. "If I cry will you stop?"

"Keep talking and I will make sure you remain in pain and misery for eternity." They fist pounded as Joshua smiled at them.

Joshua nodded. "Then it is time for you to go home." Castiel felt his heart seize up again as he and Dean pulled their friends into a long hug.

"Tell everyone hi for us." Castiel sniffed and nodded as a small girl came towards them.

"Are you coming Fox?"

Mulder nodded. "Of course Samantha. It is tea party time Don." Don rolled his eyes as Samantha grasped both of their hands.

Castiel and Dean stood there for a moment as they watched their friends walk away from them. Sure they would miss them, but at least they knew that they were happy somewhere. And most importantly, together. Dean and Castiel both woke up at the same time and sat up in the hospital wing with all of their wounds dressed.

Ash and Gabriel came into the room with a loud bang. "Hey, we are having a celebration down at the Great Hall if our HONOURED GUESTS would care to stop sleeping and join us?"

Castiel smiled tiredly. "Of course Gabriel. Give us a second." Castiel ignored the overflowing pile of presents next to his bed while Dean tried to grab as many items as possible and stuff them in his jackey. He practically waddled after Castiel as he smiled back at him,

That night Castiel and Dean walked down the steps of the Great Hall together. Castiel was wearing Mulder's "I Want to Believe in Crumplehorned Snorkaks" shirt while Dean had put on Don's Red Sox jersey. This time Castiel smiled as everyone expressed their gratitude. Instead of letting the grief drag him down, he told stories along with everyone else of their fallen friends. Of how Mulder had gotten an infestation of Nifflers in the Gryffindor tower and when he had bravely dipped Umbridge and kissed her in front of the entire school, earning him detention for a month and the respect of the entire school. Of Don getting ill when he had eaten Gabriel's entire box of gag candies and how he had been the only boy that the baby unicorns in Care of Magical Creatures class allowed to pet them, much to everyone's amusement. Castiel clapped along with everyone else as the red and gold banners streamed down the castle walls with Gryffindor far in the lead of house points. Dean raised his goblet of pumpkin juice and saluted everyone who had fallen in the fight against Lucifer and his demon army.

"Castiel? I need to talk to you and Dean." Lupin sat next to him after most of the school's inhabitants had gone to bed. Dean and Castiel hurried over as Sirius came practically skipping over.

"Can I ask them?"

Lupin nodded at Sirius who no longer needed to hang around the castle in his dog form. "Okay kiddos. You know how Lupin and I are sort of an item?"

Dean wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I really want to talk about it."

"That's the attitude! Wait…what?" Sirius stared at Dean.

Lupin shook his head. "What Sirius is trying to say is that we would like to adopt you Castiel as our son."

"What? Are you sure?" Castiel blinked in shock from Sirius to Lupin.

"Yep. We are two lonely gay men hoping to get us a son." Sirius put his hands on Castiel's shoulders. "Will you have us?"

Castiel laughed as he hugged him. "Of course!" Castiel smiled happily. This summer would not be spent at another orphanage! He had finally found a family to go home to that really loved him.

"I figure that Gabriel is a bit too old since he just graduated school today, but we want him included too. Speaking of adding on, Dean, we want you and Sam to stay with us while John is out hunting. Sirius has a huge house, needs some modern touches but we will fix it up. There is plenty of room for all of us."

Dean's face broke into a huge grin. "Seriously Sirius? Count me in. Wait, one of you can cook right? I'm used to Spaghetti O's and Lucky Charms for every meal. Who's the chef?"

Lupin smiled. "Me. I wouldn't trust him to make cereal. We will take you home tomorrow after the train ride."

Castiel gripped Dean's hand as he smiled at him. "What are we going to do next year Dean?"

Dean smiled back at him. "Same thing we do every year Cas, try to stop sons of bitches from taking over the world!"

The END.


End file.
